


Echoy'la (Lost)

by Lamker



Series: Verde' gehat'ik (Soldiers' story) [4]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Flashbacks, Mind Control, Pain, Psychological Torture, Some comfort, Suffering, brothers in arms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-06 21:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11044581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lamker/pseuds/Lamker
Summary: The separatists are losing the war, so they decided on a different tactic. Instead of focusing on the Jedi, they turn their attention on those who follow them – the clones. After all, they are living beings, they feel. And the Force flows through all beings. If influenced correctly, they just might break the soldiers.





	1. Chapter 1 Mircir (Capture)

**Author's Note:**

> Yey! So, this is another mini-series I came up with. Got the idea a while back and finally decided to write it down.  
> It won't be long - under 10 chapters - but I'll try to make the most of it  
> Also, just want to throw out a warring: there's some torture in this story. Nothing graphic (mostly mind) but still, there's a lot of pain and screaming and the like... So if it's not to your taste, don't read. Check out instead, some of my other stories!
> 
> As per usual, read, review and I hope you enjoy ^^

 

 

"What can I do for you, Count?" Grievous bowed as Dooku appeared in his holo form.

" _My Master has found a new way to try and destroy our enemy,_ " the Sith spoke calmly. " _But we will require… tests, to prove it."_

"What would you have me do?" the General asked, hiding his curiosity.

" _Capture some of the clones in your next battle. Aim for as high of command as you can."_

"But, who shall be our opponent?"

" _Skywalker is currently closest to your location. These are his coordinates. Plan accordingly General. If this works, the war will be over soon, with us emerging the victors_."

* * *

"General, everything is ready," Rex spoke as he approached the Jedi.

"Well done Rex. With any luck, we should have no trouble getting past the enemy defenses and freeing the Zelosians from the mining camps," Anakin nodded and walked to his fighter.

"Meet you on the ground, sir," the Captain gave a quick salute before turning to the gunship.

"All ready sir," Fives smiled as the blonde stepped onto the ship. "This mission seems like the easiest one for a while."

"Don't get overconfident Fives. War is never predictable."

"Ah, I understand sir…"

"You listen to him, but when I tell you the same thing, you just ignore me," Kix grumbled, narrowing his eyes on his brother.

"Yeah well, he's our Captain. We're supposed to listen to him," Fives tried and Rex smiled as the doors to the ship closed.

"So, you don't believe what I said?" the blonde played along.

"No, I mean, yes I do sir. But it's just-," the ship took off, interrupting the ARC's words.

"Just be ready for anything."

"Aye aye sir!"

* * *

As they approached the enemy from the air, their little surprise was delivered. The cannons preventing them from flying over exploded from the bombs an infiltration squad managed to get there a day prior.

" _LZ in sights Captain,_ " Joker informed over the com as the soldiers watched through the shields of the ship.

"Copy that. Bring us down nice and easy," Rex said back, glancing at the gathered brothers. "You boys ready?" there were a few rookies, and they seemed a bit anxious. Reminded him of Tup actually… the kid stayed behind in the base, saying he'd be more useful there.

"Yes sir!" they nodded and he smiled under his bucket. Good men, brave men… _dead men_ , the dark voice in the back of his mind whispered and he shook his head to get rid of it. _Good soldiers follow orders._ The shaking of the landing brought him of it as the gunship doors opened and they all rushed out.

The Captain took his spot at the head of the attack, blasting the droids as they came at them. He spotted the General fighting on the other side, his lightsaber slicing through the metal and leaving behind a trail of scrap. It took a few minutes, but another explosion went off in the communication tower and the blonde smirked.

" _Sorry we're late boys, but we had to take care of some uninvited guests_ ," Ahsoka spoke over their coms as she flew over their heads in her fighter.

"Better late than never Snips," Anakin grinned, using the Force to push a whole wave of the clankers into the men's firing range.

" _Sirs, we've got incoming!_ " Appo called in. He was back on the Resolute, coordinating attacks according to plan. But, as per usual, the plan would change.

"Talk to me Appo!" Skywalker called, deflecting the incoming fire.

" _A fleet of Separatist ships is leaving Hyperspace! The main is recognized as…_ General Grievous _' ship…_ " his voice grew ever slightly weaker as he said that name.

"Grievous? **Here**? How the kriff did he find us?" the Jedi Knight almost hissed, a deep frown on his face.

" _Maybe work on that_ _ **after**_ _we finish this, huh Skyguy?_ " the Commander called as she flew up to join the space battle, her squad right behind her.

"Rex, take your squad and free the prisoners! I'll take care of our favorite droid General…" the General grumbled, looking up at the incoming fighters.

"Copy that sir!" Rex nodded and motioned for his brothers to move into the directions of the mines.

Skywalker watched and readied himself as he saw Grievous' fighter fly around, but then it suddenly changed directions. He looked in confusion. No one was chasing him or firing at him just yet. And there was nothing in that direction other than the workers in the mines and Rex and his men. _Rex and his men._ His eyes opened wide as he was about to call the Captain over the com when blaster fire suddenly came at him.

* * *

Rex was just making his way to the mines when he heard his com beep to life.

"Sir?" he asked, still moving while blasting at any droids he came across. He was in the middle of the twelve men, with Fives leading the charge.

" _Rex! Watch out! Grievous is heading your way!_ " the General almost yelled. And no sooner than he spoke that, the Captain heard the roar of a fighter overhead as the said Separatist jumped out of his ship and landed in front of the squad of men.

"Going somewhere?" he asked in his groveling voice and they could almost hear his smirk.

There wasn't even time to call a retreat as the enemy ignited two of his – _stolen_ – lightsabers and rushed at them. Fives barely managed to roll to the side, but Jin and Livko weren't as lucky and got sliced. They all opened fire while moving backwards or sideways to avoid the usually protective glow sticks.

"Ah, you'll do!" Grievous activated two other arms and used them to grab Jesse.

"Let him go!" Kix yelled, but with no effect. The droid just blocked their attacks, and Jesse was powerless to do anything in his firm hold.

"Sergeant, get me a transport ship here now!" the General growled as he jumped in the air to land atop Night. Poor kid just joined the fight…

"We need to get back!" someone yelled as they all still tried to move backwards, but were now trying not to shoot their brother. Why hadn't the bastard just killed him yet?

Seconds later, the requested ship roared overhead and landed not far from where the fighting was taking place, with more clankers coming out of it.

"That's one," Grievous said as he hurled Jesse _inside_ the ship, where two droids cuffed and dragged him deeper.

"What's he doing?" Kix asked as he managed to get next to the Captain.

"I don't know, but we-," Rex didn't want to finish that. _What was going on?_ _Doesn't matter!_ They needed to move! _But, Jesse? No man left behind!_ _Can't help him. Move_. He struggled with what to do, seeing Grievous took hold of Cinder and tossed him in as well.

"Captain, what do we do?" Fives broke him out of his inner battle, but at the same time got the attention of the main clanker.

"Captain…" he narrowed his eyes, as if evaluating the clone. His eyes drifted from the kama to the pauldron to the markings. "Captain," he repeated with a lot more glee than before.

* * *

To Fives it all happened so quickly… One moment, he was calling for Rex on what to do, the next they had Grievous' attention and now he found himself in the grasp of said droid with the Captain in the other arm.

"Fives! Rex!" he heard Kix call as he tried to orientate himself, but was kinda hard when the bastard kept swinging his arms around. Rex tried to shoot, but he missed each time.

"A Captain and an ARC Trooper. Perfect!" Fives heard the freak laugh, before feeling an increase in speed. A second later, he was soaring through the air, before smacking face first into the steel floor of the transport ship. A moment later, he felt Rex crash into him, before droids swarmed them both.

As he was being lifted to his feet, he caught the white monster walk towards the ship, Kix and Svak in each of his arms.

"Get ready to leave. We have enough I believe," the bastard dropped his brothers onto the ground, where they were quickly cuffed.

"You alright?" he asked, seeing them both be shoved to their feet.

"I ought to be asking you that…" Kix scanned them all quickly to check for any injuries.

"…Why are we here?" Rex asked into the retreating back of Grievous. They didn't think he'd react at all, let alone turn around to answer.

"You, little pets, are going to help us destroy your masters." Before any of them could ask what that meant, they felt shock collars be set around their necks, before the electric current washed over their bodies. In seconds, they call collapsed back on the floor, their vision dimming and consciousness slipping. The last thing they heard, was Grievous laughing, broken only by his coughing.

* * *

Anakin wasn't sure what to do when he couldn't contact Rex, or anyone from his squad anymore. And his worry only grew when he spotted a transport ship leaving the area.

"Ahsoka, I need you to chase someone!" he commed the Padawan, knowing she'd be ready to help her brothers.

" _Who's the lucky guy?_ " she asked and he could hear her turning.

"A transport ship. It left from the area where Rex and the others were ambushed by Grievous," she didn't answer for a few seconds, but he felt her worry and anger flicker through their bond in the Force.

" _Are the boys…_ " she didn't dare finish, but he was already making his way there.

"I don't know… No one's picking up," he admitted, moving faster.

" _Got it,"_ her voice was chopped and curt, clearly keeping her emotions at bay.

Skywalker rounded the corner and skid to a stop at what he saw. Three clones were dead, two sliced by lightsabers and four were picking themselves up or checking on their fallen.

"Niner, what the kriff happened here?" he moved quickly to the first clone he could, offering a hand to help him stand.

"It was that bastard, Grievous. He… he grabbed the others and _took_ them!" the man explained, face laced with worry. "Tossed 'em on his transport ship and left."

" **Why** would he do that?" the General was confused as he looked at the battle field again. Why kill only a few, take a couple more and leave the rest? It didn't make any sense! Just what was the clanker thinking?

"I don't know sir… But," Niner stopped himself before he said something he didn't want to hear. Instead, he just shook his head. "I just hope they don't suffer…"

* * *

Ahsoka spotted the ship her Master mentioned and focused all of her attention on that. She tailed it through other fighters, rolling and spinning as best she could, trying to hit the kriffing thing, if only to just slow it down.

"Stay still," she muttered, adjusting her aim and was ready to fire when-

"No!" she yelled, seeing the ship move into Hyperspace and away from her. "No!" again, letting her anger spark for just a moment, before taking a few calming breathes.

" _Snips_?" she heard Anakin call and needed a second before she answered.

"Here Master," she tried to keep her emotions in check, but knew he probably felt her outburst through their bond.

" _Everything alright?_ " she narrowed her eyes on her com. There was… something there, beneath the words. Like he was checking for something…

"The ship got away…" she admitted with a sigh, already heading back to the _Resolute_.

"…" the silence made her tense up again, fearing what had happened.

"Why? What was in that transport ship?" again no answer came and she felt her heart skip a beat. "Master? What was on that transport?" she repeated.

"… _We believe…"_ he started, and the way he sounded made her breathing harden. " _That Rex, Fives, Kix, Jesse, Svak and Cinder were taken prisoner by General Grievous."_

This time, her breath did hitch and she lost all feeling for a moment. Her boys, her family her _vode_. Gone. Taken by a monster who would do Force knows what! She blinked a few times, forced herself to take a steady breath, before hearing Skywalker again. He must have anticipated this reaction and waited for her to collect herself.

" _We need to report this to the Council… It's the first time clones have been taken as prisoners by Separatists."_

"I… understand," she admitted lowly. In her head she cursed, knowing the Council would probably brush this aside as nothing. But she knew something was wrong about this – she could almost feel it. And she swore she'd get her brothers – her vode back.


	2. Mirci't (Prisoner)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Seems like this got a bit of interest, so I'm adding a new chapter really fast =)  
> And like I said, things are going to go a bit fast, but this chapter is still more of a... introduction than anything else.  
> Oh and, just a bit of... warning? I'm going to be jumping around POVs a bit, but they'll mostly be separated by the lines, so I just wanna make sure you all know about that bit...  
> One last thing! There won't be any parings in this story, only sibling relationship, so if you came for that, sorry and if you don't want that, you're fine.
> 
> Read, review and enjoy ^^

 

"… _wake up…"_ he heard someone call and felt a hand on his shoulder. But as he tried to open his eyes, his head felt heavy and pained. _What happened…_

" _Leave him rest… He's… than enough…"_ someone else said and it finally cleared away some of the fog. Grievous. The blasted clanker captured them and-

He jerked awake, eyes flying open as he smacked his head against someone else's who got knocked back on his sheb and held his head.

"Kriff Kix, give me a warning next time," it was Jesse who he head-butted, his eyes closed as he rubbed the sore spot. He vaguely registered his own pain in his head. A quick look around revealed there were five brothers around him, and all held up in a small room. _A cell,_ his mind corrected as he blinked a few times.

"You alright?" Rex asked, concern visible in his eyes. Fives stood right behind him, eyes darting over at the door every now and then. Svak and Cinder were in the corner to his left and Jesse had managed to sit on his heels by his side. And all of them still had their shock-collars, even if their hands weren't bound anymore. At least they still had their armor…

"Fine Captain. What about everyone else? Those collars did a number on us…" he mumbled, wincing slightly as his headache increased.

"We're good, for now," Fives grumbled, a frown making its way on his face. "More worried as to _why_ we're here."

"And where **is** here?" Svak called and the older men shared a look. The Captain was just about to speak, when the cell doors opened with a hiss behind the blonde and a familiar monster in white stepped inside, his guards just a step behind.

"Greetings, _clones_ ," he spat the name with disgust as they all glared at the bastard.

* * *

Jesse could feel a shiver up his spine as he stood up, back straight and eyes hard. He could see Fives and Rex standing almost protectively in front of their other brothers, their eyes burning holes into the clanker. He tightened his fists as the monster stepped closer, his eyes almost shining in glee.

"What, are you not intelligent enough to understand me? Lab rats usually are so pathetic," he bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from snapping back at that. The other ARC Trooper in the room however, didn't have that self-control.

"Have you looked in a mirror recently? Pretty sure you're the lab rat here," Fives bit back, almost letting out a Wolffe-like growl. And that earned him a lightsaber near the neck. The brother moved only slightly back, raising his head, but his eyes remained the same.

"It would seem your masters didn't teach you any manners," Grievous narrowed his eyes and no one moved anymore, even if Rex seemed tempted. "You are in luck we require you for the tests," the Sepi put away his weapon and set his hands behind his back.

"What do you want from us," Rex spoke up, voice cold and hard, his eyes narrowing.

"Ah, ah, ah, my lovelies. That would be telling," the General laughed and Jesse caught Svak and Cinder looking at their older brothers.

"Are you quite done, General? It would be best if we began as soon as possible," a new voice spoke from outside the cell, a figure stepping in the doorway, tall, proud and powerful. The clones turned their eyes on him and each felt a pang of fear spark in their chests.

* * *

As they made their way back to the command center, Anakin felt the questioning stares of all the soldiers on his back. Felt even more shifting through the Force all around him. He kept his eyes away from them, trying to hide his anger.

"Sir," Appo came up to him once they landed, Tup, Kano and Zed right behind him. "With all due respect," the General already knew what was coming. "What the _kriff_ happened out there today?"

"I'll be honest with you," he could see and feel others stop to listen in. To find answers. To have the situation explained. "I don't know." He could tell by their expression and shift in the Force _that_ was **not** the answer they were looking for.

"What's there to get?" he sighed mentally, hearing his Padawan coming towards them. "Our brothers got captured by that sleemo _Grievous_! And we need to get them back!" he turned around to face her angry eyes, needing to work _very_ hard to not let his own frustration show. The men around them looked in shock and started to chatter among themselves.

"Ahsoka, I understand your frustration," he began in as a calm and collect tone as he could. "But rushing into this blind will not do us any good. It might even endanger the others, assuming they're still-,"

"They _are_ alive! I _know_ it! I _feel_ it! Can't _you_ too?" her anger turned to sorrow and sadness and he felt the shift all around him. "You can't give up on them so _easily_!"

He wanted to say what he was supposed. _They couldn't risk it. They were clones. They were probably dead. They wouldn't want their family to risk themselves to save them._ But he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to say any of it, because he knew it wasn't true.

"Ahsoka…" he tried again, more gently and softly than before. "If Rex were here, what would he tell you?" he could see the hurt expression on her face.

"He'd – He'd say I need to… to calm down and… think," she blinked, quickly rubbing her eyes with her forearm. "But he's not here…" she whispered afterward.

"That's why we'll get him and everyone else back. You always did listen to him more than me," he gave a weak yet assuring smile, gently setting a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's just hope the Council is willing to help."

* * *

Every instinct in his body was screaming at him _to move, to protect, to find a weapon and fight!_ But he refused to follow that. Anything he'd do, just might end up with him or a brother dead. Therefore, he settled for a small movement of his leg, a shift in his center so it seemed like he stood in front of the others, eyes locked on the figure in the doorway. He glanced at the rookies and Kix, still sitting down, just to make sure they were safe.

"Count Dooku," Grievous grumbled weakly, his head bowing ever so slightly. "I was merely assessing these…" he turned to them, eyes narrow. "Meatbags."

"Clearly," the Count seemed to want to roll his eyes, but managed to hold back. "And what have you learned thus far?" he took a step forward, the soldiers instinctively shifting slightly back. Their eyes easily noticed the lightsaber on his belt, which the Sith likely allowed to be shown just to scare them.

"They will be excellent subjects. The Captain and ARC Troopers especially," the three said clones narrowed their eyes some more, their shoulders tensing. Then they felt the steady look of the Count, measuring them up.

"Captain," Dooku spoke, eyes stopping on the blonde. "As I recall, you were able to resist my former apprentice's mind trick with the Force. Impressive, for a clone," there was a small hint of acknowledgment but the man's eyes hinted at mockery.

"She did resort to that after her interrogation failed," Rex spoke back coldly and curtly, giving away no emotion. He could recall the events on Teth perfectly – how the hairless harpy Force-choked him to try and force him to revealed the General's location. He just kept repeating his name, rank, designation and battle group until she was too annoyed and tried for the trick. He figured it was a good thing then that their Jedi Generals taught all or at least most, of the clone Captains and Commanders in mental resistance. After all, they would be the ones next to their Jedi, facing off against the Sith.

"Then we shall start with you, and see if you can keep that talent," the Count smirked as the guards moved in closer.

"Don't you dare!" Fives called, grabbing one of the droids that took hold of the Captain. But it merely smacked him in the chest, sending him stumbling at Jesse who barely caught him.

"Fives, udesii!" Rex said back, offering little resistance. It wouldn't do anyone any good, not right now. "Taylir anade oyayc," he ordered, not caring for the raised eyebrow of the Sith or the hard shove from the droids.

"K'oyacyi!" he heard the others speak back, and he allowed himself to smile.

"Ni'm su te alor'ad…" and he was given the final shove out of the cell, with the Count right behind him, as he was led somewhere down the hall.

* * *

" _That is a most… unexpected situation_ ," Mace Windu rubbed his chin in thought as he watched them on the holo table.

" _Yet it does not change anything,_ " Master Tiin spoke up, looking back at Anakin. " _Clones are still clones. We cannot risk anything just to see if they are still alive. Which is a strange concept to begin with,"_ he continued, shaking his head.

" _Why would it be so strange?"_ Master Koon asked, turning to the other Jedi. " _Clearly there was a reason these clones were captured and not killed."_

" _They likely took them to dissect them, thinking they might find a weakness. But there is nothing they can use,"_ Tiin added again, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Then why not just take a few others, scattered all over the battle field? They could easily have taken a dead body to dissect," Anakin had his arms crossed, a frown on his face.

" _Strange this is, yet proof, very little there is,"_ Master Yoda spoke up, eyes closed. " _The risk, too grate is. Action, take we cannot."_

Skywalker could feel the Council looking at him for a reaction, and even felt Obi-Wan send a reassuring pulse through their bond. Plo Koon looked ready to just up and leave, though, and Windu wasn't far behind.

"I understand Masters," he spoke firmly, staring at nothing in particular. He waited if anyone had anything more to say, before cutting the link.

"…He accepted that rather quickly…" Mace narrowed his eyes where Skywalker's hologram was moments ago.

"He did, didn't he?" Kenobi couldn't hide his grin.

"…You don't think that even Skywalker would be crazy enough to-," Tiin stopped himself when he spotted three other Jedi share the same look.

"Has anyone **meet** Anakin?" was the question, leaving the Council members to let out tired and exhausted sighs.

* * *

"So, I'm guessing the Council didn't agree on our idea?" Ahsoka asked as she saw her Master leave the communication room.

"They did not, no," Anakin answered, shaking his head.

"But we're still going after them, right?" she gave a small grin as she followed him.

"That we are Snips," he glanced at her, seeing she was just making sure.

"Good," she nodded, before stopping at her room. He paused as well, sensing her hesitation and a lingering question.

"…We'll find them Ahsoka. All of them. And we'll bring them home," he assured, gently setting a hand on her shoulder. "We need to believe that."

"I know Master… I just," she paused, looking at the ground. "I'm just afraid of what we might find there when we do."

* * *

"So, as you can see, the situation is… delicate," Kenobi spoke to the holo-projector in his hand, a small smile on his lips.

" _Understood General. I'll take Boil and Jewels with me to assist General Skywalker any way we can and we'll find our vode,_ " Cody gave a nod of his head.

"Yes, I only hope you find them as they are," they both knew what the Jedi meant with those words, and the grim look only added to it.

" _Anything is better than not knowing…_ " the Commander said more quietly, eyes slightly lowering to the ground.

"May the Force be with you all," the soldier nodded again, before the link ended.

"I see you already know Skywalker's next move," Kenobi turned around, slightly surprised to see Master Koon standing there.

"Yes well, he was my Padawan," he smiled. "Is there anything I can help you with, Master Plo?" he added, trying not to sound impolite.

"…I simply wished to make sure my feeling of Skywalker was correct," the Kel Dor turned around, before adding. "He cares deeply for his men. And for that, he has my everlasting respect," without much else, Plo left.

Obi-Wan figured that, if Anakin got the respect of the so called 'General Buir' as named by the clones, then there really was no telling how far he'd go for his men. After all, everyone knew no one held their brave soldiers closer than Plo Koon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> "udesii!" - calm down!
> 
> "Aylir anade oyayc" - Keep everyone alive
> 
> "K'oyacyi!" - Stay alive
> 
> "Ni'm su te alor'ad…" - I'm still the captain
> 
> Cut! So yeah, things are kinda picking up! That bit with Rex and Asajj is actually in the novel (whichInevergottoread) and it kinda always stuck with me so I had to use it.   
> I really want to know what you all think about the whole situation and what YOU think will happen? It's always fun guessing~  
> Anyway, thanks for read! Hope you enjoyed and if you did, fancy a review? It only takes a few seconds but leaves a big mark!  
> Till next time~


	3. Tionir (Interrogate)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whop, here's the next one! Finally, things pick up! =D  
> I just want to say that, in the following chapters (this one included) the writing will be... strange? I'm trying different things and a lot will be happening, so I'm using a certain way to portray it. Hope it'll be understandable, but if not, don't hesitate to ask ^^"
> 
> Alrighty then, read, review and enjoy

 

After Rex was taken and Dooku left, Grievous remained in the cell, along with two of his guards. Fives was close to baring his teeth, a deep frown on his face.

"What are you going to do to him?" he asked lowly through gritted teeth.

The monster regarded him, and for a few seconds, didn't speak. But then, his eyes seemed to grow in amusement as he leaned closer to the ARC Trooper.

"We are going to slowly and painfully break him. And after we're done with him, you'll be next," he shoved Fives back into Jesse again, giving a laugh. "And I'll make sure to break **you** personally," he threatened with glee, laughing again as he turned around and finally left.

"Damn four-armed-yellow-eyed-scrap-of-metal…" Fives grumbled under his breath, getting to his feet again and glaring at the door.

"Yeah, that sounds really insulting," Jesse rolled his eyes, sitting down next to Kix. He ignored the glare Fives sent him.

"We can't just sit here and-!" the ARC was stopped by his brother.

"We can't do anything either!" Kix frowned, eyes burning. "The best we can do here, is try and figure out _what_ is going on, _why_ it's going on and _how_ _to stop it_!" they could easily hear the exhaustion and worry in his voice. He always got like that, when he couldn't help a brother who was in need.

"…" Fives calmed down, sighed and plopped down in front of the others.

"We're all worried about him," Cinder spoke up, looking at them. The older three looked at him and then each other.

"You… don't really think they'll… break him, do you?" Svak asked, glancing from his brothers to the ground.

"Rex? Nah. He's too good for this," Fives tossed in so causally, he almost believed it himself. What really bothered him, was Dooku. He knew they could probably handle General Cougher, but with a Sith here… It changes things. No one was even considering being saved by anyone else, so they had to find a way to get back on their own. Easier said than done.

* * *

"Everything is ready, Count Dooku," Grievous said as he walked up to the Sith, who was watching as the clone was being strapped to a table lifted upwards.

"Excellent. We shall proceed as planned," the man gave a firm nod, before his eyes flickered to his companion. "Is something the matter General?"

"…I feel there are too few guards on this ship. What if the Jedi attack?" Grievous spoke, before the human started laughing.

"My dear General," Dooku couldn't stop smirking as he turned to the cyborg. "This ship in Separatist space, far away from any Republic outpost. And not even Skywalker is mad enough to try and free _fives clones_. The risks are too great," he assured, giving a confidant grin as he turned back to their prisoner. "You have nothing to fear."

"The Jedi can be unpredictable at times…" Grievous grumbled lowly, looking away. The sidelong look he received made him turn around and leave the room without more words.

"Now then, let us see just how strong a _clone's_ will is, shall we?" the Sith said to himself and turned to the droid working the controls. "Be ready for when our guest reaches his limit," before he walked through a door, leading to the chamber where the prisoner was kept.

* * *

Rex tried to move out of his restraints, but he hardly had any room. There were metal clamps across his chest, over his wrists, down his thigs and by his ankles. Seems like they really didn't want him moving at all. But the thing that made him slightly anxious, were the metal arms and extensions above him, with all sorts of tools and needles. Well, at least his brothers weren't here…

That's when he heard a door hiss open, and snapped his eyes in that direction. He was surprised to see Count Dooku, but made sure he didn't show it. Yet when the man came closer and chuckled, he cursed himself for that. A Sith is like a dark version of a Jedi. Of course, they could read his feeling too.

"I do hope you are comfortable, Captain," the man stopped right in front of him, his eyes gleaming with mockery.

"Why don't you let me out of here so I can thank you properly," Rex narrowed his eyes, a frown forming on his face. But all that did, was make the Sith laugh.

"I see you truly are one of Skywalker's. But that will make this only more satisfying," Dooku raised his hand and leveled it with Rex's face, before closing his eyes.

The Captain felt _something_ press against him, and quickly forced his eyes close, recalling the mental training he underwent. He was only a bit too slow, and knew the man had seen something, if only just for a moment.

"How interesting…" the Count said lowly, opening his eyes but his hand remained where it was. "I have much to explore in that mind of yours," the smirk sent the soldier's skin crawling. Just what did the man see?

"If you're after information, you'll be disappointed," he had to say something back. He hasn't felt this weak and venerable since… a long time ago…

"My dear Captain," the way he said it made the clone want to shiver. "What I want from you is something entirely different," Rex couldn't help it as he blinked in surprise.

"I don't blame you for thinking that is what this is about. However, it is far from the truth of why we brought you here," the sadistic smirk that follow made his is blood run cold. "Worry not. You shall see soon enough," and with that, the Count pressed his Force again, trying to dig into the Captain's head. The soldier resisted, but it was much stronger than he thought. He knew he couldn't keep this us for long…

* * *

Things on the _Resolute_ were… strange. Everyone seemed to be keeping to themselves, the usual electric and hyper atmosphere was weak and there wasn't as much banter as usual. Everyone knew what had happened, but it was as if no one wanted to admit it.  
They would, at times, call out for Rex to settle a stupid argument or ask where they were going. Medics would complain to Kix about brothers being restless and not following orders. Rookies would seek out Jesse and Fives to ask for stories or ideas on how to train. Some would ask where Svak and Cinder were and that they should stop being idiots and join their brothers.  
And each time, everyone was hit with the realization that none of those brothers were here. They weren't on the ship. They were away, in enemy hands, being held captive, dead or worse. No one was sure what _worse_ was, but they knew it was there.  
The men also saw how the Commander seemed to avoid them, looking at the ground as she passed. And the General looked too ashamed to even speak to them. They all missed them, all wanted them back. But they wouldn't get their hopes up. They couldn't. So they stayed apart, clones pretending everything was normal, Padawan keeping in her room and General working to hunt down the location. And then came their lucky break…

"General! We've got an incoming transmission from Commander Cody," Anakin snapped his head at the soldier, giving a firm nod.

"Put him through," he walked up to the holo-table, where moments later, Cody appeared and gave a quick salute. "Commander," the Jedi greeted back. "What can I do for you?" he didn't know the 212th leader was here, but he couldn't let anyone know what he was doing.

" _Actually, it's more what_ _ **we**_ _can do for_ _ **you**_ _, sir,_ " Cody gave a small smile as he saw the General's eyes widen. " _We managed to track down Grievous' last known location. It shows that, from there, he made a hyperspace jump into another System… in Separatist Space,_ " his voice dropped only a bit at the last bit. " _We believe that's were your men are being held,_ " Anakin could feel Cody's control of emotions. How he was worried about his brothers, but managed to remain as professional as ever.

"And why would you think I'd need this information?" Skywalker was already checking nearby locations, never taking his eyes off the clone.

" _General Kenobi assigned me, Boil and Jewels to assist you. He knew you'd go after them,_ " the Commander spoke simply, a ghost of a smile on his lips. A second later, his expression changed into a serious one as he said: " _Please, let us help."_

"I'll have the hanger door open so you can land," Anakin spoke, seeing the slightly surprised yet grateful look on the soldier's face. "Welcome aboard, Commander."

* * *

Rex had his eyes shut tight, jaw locked and fists clenched. The Sith was still standing there, digging into his head, looking for _something_. But all he did, was follow a mantra: _Captain, Rex, 501_ _st_ _, CT-7567._ Over and over again, he managed to hold on with only a few things slipping. A few names of brothers, a comment here and there. That's all the Count got out of him. At least, until…

" _ **I'll give you this Captain, you have a spark of tenacity,"**_ and in a moment, his mental shield dropped as that wasn't the Count's voice he heard, but _Krell's_. His mind snapped back to Umbara and Dooku reacted in a heartbeat. In seconds, he recalled so much of what happened. He never even realized he screamed.

 _The arrival of a new Jedi. The bad feeling. Skywalker leaving and the feeling growing. The first words exchanged._ _ **"Your flattery is dully noted, but it will not be rewarded."**_ _More memories of Krell's hostility, his anger, his hate_. His words echoed all around him at different sides with different strength. Another scream ripped out of his throat.

 _ **"It's treason then."**_ _His orders to take the General down. His fault so many died. His fault he didn't see it sooner._ _ **Hardcase, Oz, Coric, Smit, Fallout, Warden, Backlash**_ _-_ He tried to block it out but the Sith kept on drilling.

" _ **Why?" "Because I can!"**_ _He should have pulled the trigger. Krell deserved it. But he couldn't._ _ **Weak**_ _. He was too weak. Dogma. Dogma pulled it. Saved him, but got himself imprisoned. Another brother gone because of him._

Dooku pulled back, eyes only slightly wider than they were before, while the Captain had trouble breathing. He took in deep breathes, trying to calm himself, leaning hard on his restraints. His vison was clouded, images of Umbara still dancing before his eyes. The shouts, the shots, the screams were still echoing around him.

"A survivor of Umbara then…" the Count's words cleared away some of the fog and he forced himself to look the bastard in the eyes. "We shall continue this shortly."

* * *

Jesse watched as Fives paced in the cell, eyes going to every corner, every little spot, trying to find a way out. He himself was sitting in the corner; head leaned against the cool metal and tried to keep calm.

"Can you please stop," Kix spoke up from where he was kneeling next to Cinder and Svak.

"…Sorry," Fives muttered and stopped in the middle of the room, shoulders falling.

"Any progress with the collars?" Jesse asked, trying to keep a conversation going. The silence was annoying him more than he'd ever like to admit.

"No. If we try to remove it, it'll either detonate or fry the person wearing it. And if that weren't enough, the electro static charge could set off everyone else's collars as well," the medic sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"So we really can only wait here…" Svak hung his head, gently rubbing the collar.

"I just wish we'd know what was going on," Jesse got to his feet. He can't take it anymore!

"It's been a few hours and we still haven't heard anything from Rex or-!" before he could actually finish that sentence, a speaker in the top corner of the cell rumbled to life. And not a moment later, a bone-chilling scream tore through the cell.

"REX!" the soldiers yelled, eyes turning to the speaker. They couldn't really understand what was even being said, but a few words kept on repeating: _**Stop. Don't. Demagolka. Vode.**_ And then a final scream before it all turned to static again.

The clones looked in horror and fear, the sudden silence almost crushing them. No one moved and no one looked away. They couldn't.

"What are they doing to him?" Cinder broke the silence, because no one else thought they could. Not after that.

"I _know_ Rex and I know he wouldn't break that _easily_. No this _soon_. Not to _these_ bastards!" Fives hissed, eyes burning as he glared at the door.

"But that was him. No mistake…" Kix breathed out, looking at the ground, lost.

"…Demagolka… Why would he be cursing Krell?" Jesse blinked a few times, trying to understand what was going.

"Does it matter?!" Fives snapped to him, clearly on edge. "They let us listen to that so they'd break us as well! We can't let that happen!"

"We won't Fives," Kix stood up and set a hand on his shoulder. "We'll all get out of this. We'll make it back to the Resolute."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut! Yey, things are finally getting fun! =D  
> That "demagolka" thing for Krell is actually a thing I did in my story "Aftermath" and I recommend you check it out (it's not necessary for this story though)  
> A lot more happens next time, so I hope you all stay for that =P  
> Oh, if anyone's curios, I have a Tumblr (Shadow-is-upon-us and from there to my Star Wars blog - Brothers All) so if you have any questions or just wanna talk or anything, feel free to hit me up there  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and maybe could consider reviewing? It's super easy and super cool and you'd be really awesome for doing it!  
> Till next time~


	4. Or'trikar (Grief)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dum dum dum... Things get much more serious in this one mates! Also, kinda short, but... more emotional? I dunno
> 
> As always, read, review and enjoy ^^

 

"These are all the records on the captive clones, sir," a droid walked up to him, handing him a data-pad. He took it, immediately going to reading it.

"CT-7567 aka Rex. ARC-5555 formerly CT-5555 aka Fives. ARC-5597 formerly CT-5597 aka Jesse. CT-6116 aka Kix. CT-5485 aka Cinder. CT-4421 aka Svak." His eyes scanned the individual clone, before checking the quick recommendations and records. "Four survivors of Umbara…" He narrowed his eyes at the four names, spotting a few more of the dead men. "Bring me Krell's report," he said to the droid, who moved away and returned shortly after with another pad.

Checking that one, he cross-referenced it with the first one, seeing the full picture. He had his link, his point to get to the clone. He just needed to use it and exploit it. Setting the pads down, he put his hands behind his back and turned back to the door.

"Bring in one of the other clones," he said to the droid.

"Which one?" it asked, slightly shocked.

"The youngest," his smirk appeared right before he stepped through the door.

* * *

The doors to the cell opened and the soldiers instantly collected themselves. Fives didn't even sleep, and Jesse had stayed up as long as he could. Cinder and Svak had fallen asleep on one another as brothers usually do, and Kix pretty much collapsed in the corner after everything that's happened. A day has gone by, and they still have no idea what's really going on here or why.

"Wake up lovelies," of course; the first thing they see in the morning is the beautiful faceplate of General Grievous.

"One of you is very unlucky today," he laughed as the men glared at him. Fives stood in front of him, looking tempted to ram into the monster.

"Where's Rex?" Kix actually spoke up, his glare almost stronger than Fives'.

Grievous turned to the medic, took a step forward and leaned in closer to him. "He is currently our guest of honor. Which why I am here," a dark chuckle came out of him as three guards stepped inside. "One of you will be going to see him."

"Take me!" Jesse had just enough of a feeling and knowledge of his brothers that he grabbed Fives before the ARC could actually do anything.

"Fives, calm down!" he hissed in his ear, jerking both of them into the wall.

"I look forward to killing that fire, clone," Grievous laughed, but got interrupted by his coughing. "However, I was instructed to retrieve someone else," his yellow eyes landed on Svak, who had moved into a corner.

"Leave him alone!" Cinder stepped in front of the rookie, arms outstretched.

"Out of the way!" the General grabbed Cinder by his torso and tossed him into the ARC Troopers, knocking all three to the ground. "Take him," he nodded to the shinie, who was trying to find a way further back.

"What are you going to do?" Kix wanted to move, to help, _so badly_ , but knew he couldn't do anything in this situation. Might actually make it worse.

"You'll find out soon enough," Svak struggled, but the guards held him tight as they dragged him out of the cell and down the corridor. "Now then, play nice," Grievous gave one last broken laugh, before the doors shut closed again.

* * *

"We have four possible locations," Cody said as he stood by the holo table, typing down the coordinates. "But we can't tell for sure which one it is," he added, looking at everyone gathered. Including the two Jedi, Jewels, Boil and Appo were present.

"We can almost certainly exclude one of them," Jewels stepped closer. "Iego. General Kenobi had us sent a small squad there after you two managed to free it of the 'ghost' and they've been keeping an eye out for anything happening."

"However, the other three are all highly possible…" Cody took over again, presenting the three remaining systems. "The Nivek system, located in the Citlik sector. The Duro system. And in the Lambda sector, the Ando system."

"These three systems don't have that many locations. About three orbit systems per one…" Ahsoka rubbed her chin in thought.

"That may be true, but we only get one chance at this," Boil leaned on the table. "If we miss the location, we'll not only miss our brothers, but we'll have Sepis on our tail."

"So we can't go in randomly. We need a plan," Appo sighed, shaking his head. "Not exactly our specialty," they all shared a small smile at that. This was the 501st after all.

"Then it's a good thing we're here," Cody smiled more truly, giving a nod. "It might take some time, but we'll track Grievous down. And when we do, we'll go get our vode home."

* * *

He woke up to a zap of lighting on his neck. Eyes snapping open and gasping for breath he hit the restraints over his chest and it knocked the air out of him.

"Good morning Captain. Hope you had a pleasant night," Count Dooku was already there, standing tall and powerful. Rex needed a few seconds to clear away the fog of his eyes and mind, to recall what happened…

 _Umbara_. The Count had managed to pull out some more information out of him when he came back next time. He got the way Hardcase died and the massacre that happened. Made Rex relive it on a loop for a while, before the clone just passed out.

"Might have a few complaints," but the Captain had stayed strong. He swallowed down the screams and repeated his old mantra in his head. It kept him sane.

"I see you haven't lost you spark. Perhaps we can change that," the Sith seemed displeased for a moment, before speaking to someone else. "Bring him in."

Before Rex had a chance to ask what was going on and who _he_ was, a door behind him opened and he heard the ever so familiar grunts and mutters of a struggling brother.

"No, please, no…" he whispered, eyes closed and trying to calm himself.

"Captain!" he opened his eyes and wished he hadn't.

"Svak!" out of all the soldiers, they chose the youngest. The kid's only been with them a month! And the confused, lost and hopeful look in his eyes made the blonde want to look away again. The kid was forced to a kneeling position, arms cuffed in front of him.

"If all goes well, you have nothing to fear, child," Dooku stepped behind him, setting his hands on his shoulders and giving a smirk. "However, the ultimate decision lies with your beloved Captain."

"Don't do it sir!" Svak yelled instantly, the hope and confusion turning into determination.

"Brave solider, aren't you," Dooku sounded almost impressed, before raising one of his hands. In seconds, lightning emerged from his fingers, flying directly at the kid. His screams echoed in the small room, but the blonde didn't spot the transmitter in the corner, broadcasting it to the cell as well.

"Stop! Leave him alone!" he yelled, struggling in his restraints again. And the Sith did stop.

"If you wish for him to live, then submit," his voice turned cold and harsh, his eyes narrow and glaring daggers.

"Don't… do it…" Svak repeated, clearly in pain. "No matter what…"

"Do you truly wish to be responsible for another of your brothers' deaths?"

"Don't listen to him!" the kid was finding new strength. Death usually did make them all fearless and maybe a bit reckless. "You're not… responsible for anyone's death! No one blames you for any of it!" that earned him another blast of lighting and another scream.

"What will your answer be, Captain?" the Count spoke after Svak fell forward, leaning on his elbows to not smack his face in.

The blonde had remained still since the kid spoke. Did everyone know about it? That he still blames himself for so much death. Of course everyone's probably heard about those that hit him hardest, when he was still young.

"We… need you… Captain," the kid managed to speak, although he was talking more to the ground than his brother. "Don't give… up just yet…"

"…I'm so sorry, Svak…" Rex closed his eyes, head hung. "I'll never submit." His eyes held anger and hate as he glared at the Sith. He would pay for this!

"So be it," Dooku frowned and pulled out his lightsaber, raising it above the kid.

"Vode An," Svak gave a weak smile, managing to get to his keens again. He's ready to die like a soldier.

"Vode An," Rex said back, giving a nod of his head and closed his eyes just as the red blade pierced the soldier's chest.

"Such a shame…" Dooku mused, looking at the lifeless body. "It would seem I am in need of a new tactic…"

* * *

"AGH! LET ME OUT!" Fives was hitting the door with his shoulder, punching it even, screaming and cursing the ones who put them in here. "LET ME OUT YOU **HUT'UUN**!" he rammed the door again, but when silence filled the cell, he stopped.

" _Vode An,_ " was the last thing they heard before the well-known sound of a lightsaber was heard.

" _Vode An_ ," again and then silence.

" _LET. ME. OUT!_ " Fives was at it again, hitting the door. "Let me out," it turned quiet soon after, with him leaning on the door now. "Let me out…" it was low and almost broken, head resting against the metal.

Kix stood behind him all the while, not trying to stop him. Not again. It started with the screaming and when the medic tried to stop his brother, he pushed him away. Jesse tried talking to him, but Fives just wouldn't listen. So, they stayed behind him, watching his rampage, hurting just the same. Cinder had remained silent, eyes empty as he watched the floor. He felt responsible for Svak, since the two were in the same batch.

"…Fives…" Kix only now moved, gently setting a hand on his shoulder. He could feel the ARC shaking, yet made no sign he heard him. "C'mon, lemme get a look at you," the medic gently pulled at his shoulders, getting him to turn away from the door. Fives' eyes went to his, and in a moment, Kix found himself hugging his brother.

"It'll be okay vod…" he whispered, pulling the man closer. "We'll get them for this…" he saw Jesse helping Cinder on his feet, making sure he was alright.

"I just… feel so useless…" Fives had his eyes closed. "Just like on the Rishi Moon or the Citadel or even Umbara…"

"Trust me," Kix let out a humorless chuckle. "You aren't the only one…" he looked at the celling, trying to ignore the pain stabbing his heart. "You aren't the only one…"

* * *

"Count Dooku," Grievous spoke as he approached the man. "You wished to see me?"

"Yes," the Sith turned to the cyborg. "I hear you wish to break one of the clones?" the General's eyes widened at that. "If that is the case, I believe you will have your fun."

"And how is that?" Grievous tried to hide his excitement.

"The Captain is proving more resilient that I anticipated. However, I believe he may be… persuaded, should any of his brothers break first."

"But if the death of one didn't-,"

"I did not imply death, General," he Count handed the General a data-pad. "There you have all the information you require for the one they call 'Fives'. His latest outburst proved he is close to what we need. We must only redirect that anger and hate." Grievous checked the information quickly, a slow laughing rising in him.

"It will be my pleasure."

"Splendid. In the meantime, I shall try again with the Captain. Perhaps my Master might give some assistance…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut! As I said, shorter than the others, but I felt like it had a lot more emotion to it *cough* Fives *cough* and I really enjoyed writing it  
> Gimme your best prediction for what's going to happen soon! Love to hear what you all are thinking =P  
> Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! Maybe review with what you love, or not so much? Thoughts? Anything really!  
> Till next time~


	5. Akaanir (Fight)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yey, finished this one early! Happy Clone Appreciation Day! (Or, late day if I'm late? The days tend to mush together now-and-days...)
> 
> Ah finally, this one... I enjoyed writing too much probably? But ah well!  
> Read, review and enjoy~

 

She had passed quickly in the corridors, not even looking into the mess hall. She turned the corner, the place memorized. She knew the three guards patrolling had just passed, so she was free. Just a few more steps and-

"Oh, excuse me, Commander Tano," for a moment, she thought it was Rex. Or maybe Jesse. Fives usually wasn't so formal, Kix would be saying it more quickly and the rookies wouldn't say it so lightly. No, looking up, she saw it was Cody.

"My fault Cody. Should have watched where I was going…" she said quickly and tried to move past him, but he moved his arm in her way. Just like Rex used to.

"Are you alright?" she had to look at him again, seeing his concerned eyes.

"…Yes, of course," the smile she gave him was so fake; she thought she might throw up.

"…We'll get them," he knew how to read her. Of course he did. This man served as a right-hand man to Obi-Wan. He needs to know how to read Jedi.

"I know we will," she remembered Anakin had said the same thing. There was a pause as she saw him looking for something to say.

"I can already hear Rex yelling at us for coming to save them. He'd say how they had it all planned and were working on something, when we came and ruined it," she was shocked by what he said and had her mouth gaped open.

"And Fives would likely start competing on who would destroy more clankers. Jesse would tell him to stop messing around, but join in soon after," he gave her a sad smile, eyes almost distant, but still looking at her.

"Cinder and Svak would be telling everyone about what happened. How they were trapped with the Legends, and how they managed to get out. The rookies would look up to them," a soft chuckle escaped him.

"And Kix… He'd be fussing over everyone once they got back. Checking every little scratch, making sure the equipment was still working," she finally allowed herself a small smile as well, understanding what he was doing.

"It'll be just like the good old days," she said and he nodded.

"Thank you, Cody."

"Anytime Ahsoka."

* * *

 

When Grievous came looking for the clones, he was expecting another rage-filled fit. Maybe more questions about their pathetic _brothers_. But what he didn't expect, was the room to be empty at first, and a moment later, four clones jumping on him, trying to knock him to the ground. The guards outside responded, but he was still trying to pry the meatbags off. He stumbled into the cell, extending his four arms and grabbed _someone_ , but another clone grabbed his face. With a frustrated growl, he rammed the wall, hearing two bodies collide with the metal before the dropped down. Two more were still holding on, but he held on to another one. Pulling the clone off with a growl, he saw it was the one with the Republic tattoo. His momentary hesitation allowed the soldier to kick him in the face, forcing him to drop the man to the ground. The last clone was still on his back, but the guards had a clear shot and slammed their electric staffs into his back. As the last one fell, Grievous saw it was that loud one and growled again, kicking him just in case.

"Clever for rats," he put his foot on the clone's chest, pressing down and seeing him reaching out to try and stop it. "But not clever enough."

The others were picking themselves up, glaring but not moving. They knew that if they did anything, the General would crush their brother right then and there. He laughed at their pathetic love for one another, glaring down at the one under his foot.

"But if you keep insisting, why don't we go and see what you're made of," he grabbed the clone and tossed him to the guards. "Take him to room 5," he ordered and they dragged the pained soldier out, cuffing him in the process.

"The rest will just have to wait your turn," he laughed at them, not even bothered by the death glares he was getting.

* * *

 

Dooku entered the chamber with a deep frown on his face. The clone was resting it seems, or perhaps just pretending to. His frown deepened as he recalled the conversation he had with his Master about the situation…

" _But, Master, if it does not work as it should-."_

" _We lose nothing. They shall be exterminated and we shall acquire new subjects."_

" _I still believe this is not the best way to handle it…"_

" _Think of it as a small test. To see if they react. If they do not, then something is wrong."_

" _Understood, Master."_

He walked up to the clone, watching him closely. He still didn't want to use what his Master suggested. Perhaps he could wait for Grievous to handle the other one before continuing.

"I know you are awake," he said calmly, seeing the Captain slowly open his eyes, glaring up at him. "Such a weak attempt…"

"Fooled the droids," the soldier's cocky attitude was slowly starting to annoy him. He hated Skywalker for it and it seems his Captain wasn't far behind.

"Are you comparing me to droids?" he actually sounded curios, raising an eyebrow.

"Just saying you're all just as dumb," his anger flared and he automatically reached with the Force for the switch on a control panel nearby. It activated the shock collar on the clone, zapping him and lighting the dark room up. It was there that he decided – he'd wait for now with the Master's idea. He'd try pain with the Captain, despite knowing the clones were almost built to endure it.

* * *

 

Fives felt himself get tossed onto the ground, the guards standing around. He groaned, his back still stinging from the jabs, but managed to get to his knees.

"I was afraid you would be too hurt to move again," he heard General Cougher speak and turned his head to him, eyes burning.

"Let me out of these restraints and you'll see," he challenged, getting to his feet.

"If you say so," the monster laugh and pressed a switch on a remote, probably the same one that was connected to his collar. The cuffs and collar fell off a second later and the ARC was in momentary shock at that.

"Now then clone," Grievous chuckled. "Come and fight," the guards extended their weapons, stepping closer and Fives managed to jump back to avoid the first jabs.

"Hiding behind your guards? Of course you are!" he frowned and grabbed one of the electro staffs by the handle, twisting it around. He pulled the guard over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground, delivering an elbow to the faceplate. Pulling the weapon from its metal grasp, he faced the other two, his new weapon prepared.

"This just got interesting," the General chuckled but made no move as his guards stepped forward to face the ARC Trooper.

* * *

 

Another zap shocked his body, but he managed to hold down the scream. He felt the needle pierce his neck and something be injected into his veins, likely decreasing his tolerance to pain, but still glared at the Count. He's handled worse before. This was nothing.

"You think yourself righteous? For defending the Jedi?" Dooku growled after another failed attempt at getting the Captain to submit.

"I'm doing my job!" Rex hissed back, ignoring the pain in his body.

"And what do you get in return?" Dooku hadn't realized he called upon the Force Lighting as he glared at the clone. His anger was seeping out and he didn't even try to stop it.

Rex couldn't help but scream. This lightning wasn't anything like before. Like the prods, jabs, and pings. This made it feel like his insides were on fire and that he just might be cooked inside his own armor. He didn't want to think what would happen if he came in any closer contact to that.

After a few seconds, but what felt like hours, the Count finally stopped. Smoke was coming off the charred armor and Rex was panting, having trouble breathing. His body was still in pain and he felt close to passing out.

"We are not done," the Sith hissed and the Captain felt a sharp poke in his neck again. His eyes opened and he saw the man had used one of the nearby needles to inject something, but it was much different. By the way his heart was speeding up and he regained his energy, he could only assume it was an adrenalin boost.

"Now then… Shall we continue?"

* * *

 

Fives grunted as he felt another jab into his side by the end of the electro staff. He spun around; his own staff extended and hit the first guard in the head, staggering him. The second one was coming around, trying to jump him, but the clone rolled out of the way just in time. As the guard slammed his weapon down, Fives tossed his staff in his other hand before hurling it like a spear into the droid's head. It knocked the machine back, pinning it to a wall as it struggled a few more moments before shutting down. He only managed to take in a few quick breathes before hearing the buzz from the last guard.

He braced himself for the hit, arms going to guard his chest. He was tired, in pain and pretty sure he was running on adrenalin right now. But still, he took the hit and it send him skidding across the ground towards the wall where he pinned the other one. He needed a second, but got to his feet, albeit shakily and grabbed the weapon, leaning on it.

Panting, he glared at the guard and pulled the staff out of the wall with a yell, charging yet again at the enemy. It tried to block him, but Fives jumped, turning mid-air and slamming the droid from the side and into a wall. As soon as it crashed into the wall, he ran up to it, piercing its chest with his weapon with another grunt.

He was leaning on the weapon again, eyes growing tired, until he heard clapping from behind. He's almost forgotten about Grievous, and struggled to turn around to face the General. He really didn't have the energy for a proper fight anymore…

"I must admit, I am impressed," Grievous had a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "And the way you move… I wonder if _they_ ever noticed," Fives gave him a confused look, to which he only laughed. Maybe there was a joke somewhere there he wasn't getting…

"I could easily kill you right now," the monster stopped his laugh and pulled out two lightsabers, leveling them at the clone from where he stood. "But I want you to keep struggling. To keep thinking you will survive."

"What… makes you think… we won't?" Fives grunted, taking hold of the weapon again.

"Because no one cares enough to believe you would," the words confused him at first, but he saw the General laugh yet again. "There will be no rescue, clone."

"Like we need… anyone to save us… We can handle ourselves," he glared back, gripping the weapon tighter.

"It's a shame really. If the Jedi cared enough, they would have come for you. Then maybe, your bothers wouldn't have had to die."

"Svak died to make sure Rex-!"

"I'm not talking about the child," it took a few seconds, but when Fives realized what he was talking about, his body felt numb.

"No… No, not-!" he didn't believe it _. He was lying. This wasn't-_

"The three in the cells? What were they called again…" his heart skipped a beat as he thought he might snap the staff in half.

"Oh, right. Jesse, Kix and Cinder, right? You clones and your little nicknames," in a second, Fives was attacking Grievous, wild and powerful swings.

"Don't dare say their names!" he yelled, seeing blue and green as he kept striking madly.

"They're dead and your Captain is soon to be," he wasn't even sure what he was attacking at, just that he had to beat the monster into a scrap pile.

"And we'll keep you as a pet!" he missed the swing. _Stupid! Weren't thinking. Lost track of your surroundings._ He tripped over a broken guard, stumbling forward and landed on his arms and knees. He shook his head to try and get the fog out, but soon felt himself be grabbed and lifted by his throat.

"Pathetic," Grievous hissed as Fives tried to pry his metal arms away and free himself.

"And you thought you could save your brothers," he was starting to lose oxygen and saw black spots dancing at the edge of his eyes.

"You couldn't even save your own teammates on the Rishi Moon. Droid Bait, Cutup and Heavy, right?" he was struggling harder, just wanting the monster to shut up. He could clearly see all three brothers in their last moments. _They deserved better. They should have made it._ "And then, the one on the Citadel. The one who lasted longest… Echo, was it?" he closed his eyes, tears slipping out as he relived the horrible moment of Echo's death _. The di'kut and his fearless nature! If only he'd stuck to the rules like he usually does. Why, why of all the times to change, did it have to be then?_

"Now they're all dead, you'll be an obedient little pet… And it's all the Jedi's fault. Remember that, _clone_ ," the General pulled him in closer, hissing the name into his ear before Fives passed out.

* * *

 

Appo was just passing the refreshers when he paused, hearing something he wasn't sure was right.

"Do you really think we'll find them?" he turned in and saw a couple of rookies, looking at each other with worry and fear.

"After the way the Commander snapped, we better… Can imagine what she'd do if we don't?" Appo himself felt a shudder up his spine. They were shocked by Ahsoka's outrage against her Master – especially how fiercely she was sure their brothers were alive. And while it was very reassuring, showing their Jedi cared, it scared them. The Jedi were still, for many, _terrifying_. The few who didn't seem to mind are either dead or missing, with only a handful remaining on the ship – Appo not being one of them. If they do lose control, who would stop them? Who _could_? **That's** what scared them so much.

"We will find them," the Sergeant hadn't recognized Tup with his hair down like that, but the fierce way he spoke made him stand out from the other rookies.

"We'll find them and they'll be fine. They're the Legends – the ones everyone looks up to. There's no way this would hurt them," Appo slowly backed away from the 'fresher, eyes taking on a sad tone. He wished he could be that sure about it, but after Umbara… Many of the older soldiers… changed. Those Legends especially. He just hoped the kid was right and that they could survive this as well.

* * *

 

Ahsoka snapped awake, a silent scream on her lips. There was a tremor in the Force, but it was… close. Someone she knew was in pain. The Force shivered and she heard a familiar scream of pain, soon followed by a yell of rage. It wasn't clear what was happening, but she knew to who. At least, to a degree.

" _Vode_ …" she whispered, eyes still wide open. She jumped out of bed, grabbed her lightsabers and was just about to leave the room, when Anakin appeared in the doorway.

"Master!" she called in surprise, seeing his shocked expression as well.

"I'm assuming you felt that…" he said with a knowing look in his eyes.

"…I did," she lowered her head, shoulders dropping as well.

"Good. Then we can finally start our plan on getting them home," she looked up at him and saw he was giving her a reassuring smile.

"What do you mean?" she was confused, but knew he must have a plan.

"Get Cody and Appo and I'll explain on the bridge," was his only answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut! Well, looks like stuff is finally going down! We got some more... interesting things happening next chapter, so be sure to check that one out!  
> Again, don't be shy in asking if something's not making sense - I'll try and explain as best I can ^^"  
> I hope you enjoyed and if you fancy, leave a review! They're my life substance and the best currency around.  
> Till next time~


	6. Rol'eta Resol (Sixty-Six)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, onwards! This one is... special? Like, I really went all out with the confusion I think, so sorry about that! If you don't really understand, ask and I'll explain as best I can! And yeah, we're halfway done! Yey xD  
> And yeah, this one is kinda... long-ish. Longer than the others.
> 
> Just to say, this is a personal headcannon of mine, so please don't hate me for what happens! Also, sorry if certain bits feel... rushed? I was having a bit of trouble balancing everything (probably failed) so...  
> Read, review and enjoy!

 

" _Now they're all dead, you'll be an obedient little pet… And it's all the Jedi's fault. Remember that, clone_."

_They're all dead... It's all the Jedi's fault… Remember, clone…_

_All dead... Jedi's fault... Remember…_

_Dead. Jedi. Remember._

_It's all the Jedi's fault. They're all dead._ _**It's all the Jedi's fault.** _

_Remember. Remember._ _**Remember.** _

_Jedi's fault._ _**Their fault.** _

_Their fault._ _**All dead.** _

_Dead. Jedi._

_**Fault. Dead. Jedi.** _

_**It's all… because of the Jedi…** _

He cracked his eyes open, blinking a few times to clear the fog. Everything hurt, he could hardly breath and he was lying face-first onto a cold metal ground.

_Remember. It's all because of the Jedi. They're all dead…_

He didn't know who was talking but… it sounded like himself. His voice. But, it couldn't be. He'd never say something like that…

" _ **What were their names again…"**_

A different voice, but a familiar one. It sent chills up his spine and he blinked a few more times, trying to gather his thoughts. _Why did everything hurt so much…_

" _ **Jesse, Kix and Cinder."**_

"Vode…" he didn't believe that was his voice at first. It sounded too weak, too hurt, too pained. He'd never sound like that _. Move. Stand. Help. Fight!_

With a groan, he moved his arms – why did they hurt so much? He managed to crawl to his knees, leaning on his hands for support. The world was spinning and he tumbled back down again, hitting the side of his head on the flood. Something rattled and he felt something under him. A collar… Why was there a collar lying around?

" _ **You'll be an obedient little pet,"**_

That same voice. The one that sent chills up his spine. Who was it again… _Danger. Get up. Move. Fight!_ Fight what? He couldn't even stand, let alone fight.

"Ah, I see you finally decided to wake up," this time, the voice wasn't distant, but came right above him. He was lying on his side, and managed to open his eyes enough to look, only to be met with the faceplate of a monster. His body screamed at him – _danger, run, fight!_ – but he couldn't even speak.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure the drugs will wear off soon enough," the monster let out a broken laugh, making him wince in pain. His head was hurting while still trying to recall what had happened not long ago.

_Now they're all dead, you'll be an obedient little pet… And it's all the Jedi's fault. Remember that, clone._

_They're all dead because of the Jedi… Kix… Jesse… Cinder… Svak… Rex… Echo… Heavy… Cutup… Droid Bait… Dead. Because of the Jedi._

His vision started to blur, but he locked his jaw, eyes trying to glare. _The Jedi. It's their fault. Everything is. His brothers are dead because of the Jedi! They are going to pay…_

* * *

"Give it up," Rex said thought gritted teeth as the Count circled around him. "Whatever you're trying, won't work."

"…" Dooku stayed silent as he walked, rubbing his beard in thought. He would glance at the Captain when he passed him, but otherwise made no sign to acknowledge the clone.

"Your resistance is… admirable and rather unexpected," the Sith didn't stop when he spoke. "However, you are still, just a clone."

Rex was about to retort again, when he heard the doors hiss open and heavy metal footsteps walking towards them. He knew instantly who it was, and frowned, hardening his glare when Grievous came around.

"How is _your_ progress, General?" Dooku stopped in front of Rex, never looking at his companion.

"Going according to plan, Count," Grievous glanced at the clone, his eyes filled with glee. "The little pet is learning fast and the others will soon follow, I'm sure."

"Others?" Rex hasn't realized he said that out loud. And when both of them looked at him, the Captain felt his blood run cold.

"Yes, your brothers, locked up in cell sixty-six," Dooku spoke, a smirk on his face. Rex wanted to say something back but… couldn't. It was as if he forgot how to speak all together.

 _Sixty-six… Why…_ There was something there, he knew. _What was it?_ His mind was swimming as he tried to understand, looking at nothing. He tried blinking, shaking his head, and it cleared away some of the fog, but not all. There was a faint ringing in his ears, annoying him, making it all the harder to just _think_.

"What did you-?" he didn't get to finish before the Count spoke up again, this time his hand leveled with his head.

"General, would you kindly tell _Sixty-Six_ our guest will soon be ready?" the clone felt another shock run through him, _something_ pulling at his mind. And it wasn't just the Count trying to drill inside again. The ringing wasn't in his ears, it was in his head. His brain. _What-?_

"Understood, Count. I'll inform _Sixty-Six_ of the situation," he vaguely heard Grievous leave, but again, that **word**. _That number_. What is this…? Why does he feel so… strange? _Can't focus. Can't think_. It was… inviting. No, commanding. _Orders. Good soldiers, follow orders…_

"Relax, Captain…" he tried to focus on that voice, even if it was the Sith's, but it was hard against the whispers in his brain and the memories the Count was digging up. "It will all be over soon… _Sixty-Six_ hours you have lasted, but it is over now… You will submit," he couldn't take it anymore. He screamed. Screamed at the voice, sadistic and gentle, almost giving him orders and the increasing ringing that accompanied it. Screamed at the Count's voice, as it ordered him and he couldn't disobey. Screamed at the shouts and yells of his brothers, brought back by the Sith. Screamed at himself and tried to ignore it all.

* * *

"What's the plan, sir?" Cody asked, standing with the others by the holo-table.

"We figured we could track the missing soldiers through the Force," Anakin said, arms crossed over his chest.

"…You can do that?" Boil asked carefully, looking at his brothers.

"It won't be easy, but I'm sure if me and Ahsoka combine our abilities, we can find them," he looked at his Padawan, who was looking back full of determination.

"I need the rest of you to prepare a shuttle. We'll board and begin our search from there. Let's just hope we're not too late" he said the last bit quietly, seeing the rest looking away.

"Understood sir. Boil, Jewels, get ready," Cody nodded to his men.

"I'm coming to," Appo left almost no room to debate as he followed the others.

* * *

"What the kriff is going on around here?" Jesse ran his hand through his head, looking at nothing in particular. "This whole thing is getting weirder and weirder!" he shook his head in confusion, but regretted it soon after as his head still hurt from his fall.

"I don't know," Kix was glad he had something to focus on, even if it was Cinder's twisted wrist. After the way Grievous handled them all, he was worried about Fives. They haven't heard anything from him or General Cougher, even after half a day.

"I just wish they'd tell us something!" Cinder winced as the medic worked on his wrist. He had worked on it before, but didn't last. So this time, he used the armor plate around his arms to hold it steady.

"I got a feeling we'll hear from them soon enough…" Jesse said quietly, eyes going to the speaker in the corner. It buzzed to life suddenly and a familiar scream greeted their ears. Cinder instinctively pulled his hands away to cover his ears, Kix closed his eyes and put his face in his hands and Jesse forced himself to bear through this. Let this fuel his anger for these bastards and make them pay.

* * *

He woke up again, feeling more in pain than before. Breathing hurt and he didn't even want to move. Not that he felt like he could – his limbs felt like they were made of lead. He was vaguely aware of a voice in his head, angry and hissing something, but he couldn't really understand it. He just couldn't focus on anything right now…

And suddenly, he heard a scream. A bone chilling one, sounding so very familiar… He forced himself to focus on that, feeling anger bubbling inside. That scream… it was a brother. But why did it sound so strange…

_Not just any vod…_

The voice said, mixing in with the screams. It sounded so sweet, and it whispered in his ear.

_The old one. They hurt him. He is in pain. His strength is wavering…_

"Who…?" his voice was weak and dry, his eyes still foggy.

_Your brother. The old one. The strong one. They are going to break him_

The voice almost sang as he struggled to move his arms. Everything felt numb, heavy, but he forced himself to move. He thought about what the voice was saying, who it was talking about. It was hard, working through the fog, but he managed…

"Ori'vod…" he mumbled, tensing his muscles.

_**They're all dead because of the Jedi** _

"Help… Ori needs… help," he felt new strength in his body, his anger for those who hurt his brothers pushing him forward.

_Go. Help your brother. Hurry, before the Jedi kill him._

He let out a low growl of pain as he shakily got to his feet. The world was spinning, still covered in parts by the fog in eyes, but he saw a door. He heard screams coming out of it. So that's where he moved.

* * *

"Everything is ready sir," he constantly had to remind himself why Rex sounded so strange when he spoke. Because it wasn't Rex. He never even imagined what it'd be like, having someone else saying the same thing…

"Thank you, Cody," he gave a nod and paused as he stepped onto the ramp.

"Sir?" Appo looked at him from where he was sitting.

"…Who else, knows about us leaving?" Skywalker asked, never turning around.

"Just us sir… Why?" the Sergeant looked puzzled.

"Because it seems we have some stowaways," there was a rattle, something tripping, someone cursing and quick footsteps towards the ramp.

"Tup, Vid, Liso! What the kriff are you doing here?" Appo was on his feet, looking at the three rookies while the 212th men shared a look and suppressed a snicker.

"Sir! We wanted to come along, sir!" they saluted and the Sergeant sighed, running a hand over his face.

"How does Rex deal with this…" they heard him grumble before looking back at the trio.

"You can't come along. It's too dangerous," he tried to reason, not knowing what else to do.

"Sir, our brothers are being held by Sepies! We want to help!" Tup dared a bit more than the others, taking a step forward.

"First one inside gets to come along," Skywalker said. In a moment, Tup seemed to have teleported next to the General, giving a sheepish look to the other two.

"But-!" their protests died when Anakin raised his hand.

"This is a rescue mission. Too many people will attract attention," he explained and saw they wanted to argue, but eventually nodded.

"Good. Make sure everything is ready when we get back… Who knows what state we'll find our boys in…" with that, the selected men walked further in, the ramp rising and the ship taking off soon after.

* * *

There was so much going on inside his head, he wasn't even sure what to concentrate on. Or what to fight against. The Count, who was replying his worst experiences and memories right before him? The memories themselves, of brothers dying and reaching out, trying to live? Or this new voice in his head, laughing, mocking, forcing him to _obey_ whatever it said? He didn't know. He didn't think he wanted to know. He just wanted it to stop…

" _You poor, pathetic creature…_ " Dooku spoke, pulling up another memory.

Umbara. _Why… why…_ Why?! Hasn't he seen enough?! Hasn't he relieved it enough times, even without something forcing it out?! He sees it in his nightmares, when he closes his eyes. So _why, why, why_ does he need to see it here as well?!

" _The question you need to ask, is why it happened…_ " the Count spoke again, showing the massacre again. How brother killed brother…

"Krell was a monster… that's why," he found his voice there, standing like a ghost in the middle of the scarred battlefield.

" _And who allowed him to be so?_ " he was finally content, even if he was staring at this place. The screams had died down, replaced mainly by sobs and cries.

"…" he felt like he knew the answer. It was on the tip of his tongue…

" **The Jedi,** " the voice spoke and he snapped his eyes open.

"No, no, you're wrong!" he screwed his eyes shut, hands on his ears to stop the screams he knew would come.

" _Think about it… They did not act. They did not see. They allowed Krell to do as he pleased, because they did not care…_ " that was Dooku again, but he could have sworn there was a tinge of the other voice there as well.

" **The Jedi are to blame… You know it. You feel it** ," he shook his head, trying to fight again, not wanting to give up. This was wrong; this was wrong, thiswaswrong-

" _ **Good soldiers, follow orders."**_

His breath hitched, his blood ran cold, his body went numb. Silence surrounded him as he dared to open his eyes. That voice… it was his own. And he was now looking in a mirror, his own reflection looking back.

" _ **Good soldiers, follow orders,"**_ the reflection repeated and he could see the Jedi standing in the background, smiling, laughing.

Instinctively, he turned, arms swinging, trying to hit whoever stood behind him. But there was nothing. Only darkness. His breathing was heavy and he saw the darkness fading, being replaced by a sick-green-yellow light. Lava and rocks. He knew this place… The Citadel.

" _ **Charger!" he saw a brother fall off a wall, landing into an electro mine there.**_

" _ **Well, they know we're here now," Kenobi had said, as casually as ever.**_

" _ **ECHO!" Fives had screamed so loudly, the whole planet might have heard him.**_

" _ **We need to get moving!" he didn't even get a chance to mourn him…**_

" _See? They do not care… They sent you off to battle, to die, and they watch and laugh…_ _And yet…"_ the scene changed again. He saw people standing by the edge of a river of lava, speaking, but he couldn't hear them. Yet he knew what they said…

" _ **We don't have much time… Let's take this moment to honor him…" Kenobi had said before he and Anakin lowered the body into the lava.**_

" _They took their time, honoring_ _ **their**_ _brother. Yet, you could not do the same… They had you watch, just to mock you…_ " Rex was trembling, trying to ignore the anger and pain building inside. He hated how they seemed to read his mind, his feelings, his memories…

"No need to hide the anger, child," he suddenly found himself outside his mind and back in the real world. Dooku still stood in front of him, his face calm and collect. He pressed a button and it released the collar around his neck. There was no need for that anymore.

"Allow you anger and hatred for the Jedi to give you power. Embrace it. Follow it. Take revenge for all your fallen brothers. Make the Jedi suffer, as you have," his voice was powerful, his words burning into his weak mind.

"But, they-," he couldn't even finish as the Count spoke again.

"Do not worry, child. You will not be alone… Tell your brothers. Expose the Jedi. Build your forces and when the time is right, strike!" the Sith clenched his fist and the Captain found himself listening to his words. The voice told him to… So far, they've never been wrong.

"A brother shall join you shorty… Then you must free the others from the Jedi."

"Jedi… They… they hurt my vode…" Rex was still in a daze, but the voice helped him.

"Yes. Free your brothers and return to your Battalion. Spread the word of what happened. Let everyone know that the Jedi are traitors."

"Yes… Jedi… must pay…" he said, just as the voice told him. They were both right. They Jedi are to blame for all of this. And they need to pay.

"Good. Now be ready, your brother is almost here," were the Count's last words before he walked away, leaving the Captain still strapped to that table.

* * *

"You ready?" she heard him ask and swallowed away her fear.

"Yes," she looked at him. She had to be. They only had one shot at this and everyone, _everyone_ , was counting on them. She can't let them down.

"Just be careful… We don't know what's happening," Anakin gently set a hand on her shoulder, giving her a small squeeze.

"Ready whenever you are sir," Jewels spoke from the pilot seat.

The two Jedi put one of their arms closer to the other's, their palms touching, while the other arm was extended towards the vast emptiness of space. Both Master and Padawan took in a calming breath, before reaching out with the Force. It extended out of the ship and they were searching for a familiar flicker in the Force. There were many, so many out there, but they needed to find the specific few. They concentrated harder, past the strong and steady spots, and towards the weak ones. _So many were dying or dead…_ _Focus!_ Find them, find them… Ahsoka let out a shuddered breath, straining with the concentration now. _But she could feel them!_ On the edge of her sense but they were there! She felt her Master focus on where she was searching and with their combined power, managed to reach out. Instantly, they had to pull back because there was so much _pain, sorrow, suffering, anger-_

"Sirs!" Cody stood right behind them. "Did you find them?"

"…We did…" Anakin said, looking at his Padawan who was trembling slightly. "But we also found Count Dooku."

* * *

"General, prepare the ship. Our guests are about to leave," Dooku said as he passed Grievous, walking down the hall. "I shall finish up with the rest."

"The pets are prepared?" the General asked and the Sith nodded in reply. With a bow, Grievous turned a corner down a different hall.

Dooku paused only to open the door, before stepping inside and seeing the startled looks of the clones. He showed no emotion, even when the ARC Trooper of them stood up and in front of his brothers. So noble, trying to protect them.

"You have nothing to fear, clone," he said calmly, seeing the suspicion rise in his eyes.

"Where are our brothers?" the ARC had asked, body tense.

"On their way to free you," he smirked, raised his arm and waved it in front of the three. "The Jedi had imprisoned you, but now you are free," he used what he collected from the Captain and replicated it here. It went much smoother and quicker with these weak-minded clones, but they still seemed hesitant.

"They shall explain when they arrive," a last wave, a last twist of their minds and he saw them looking confused at nothing. He quickly disarmed and unhooked their collars.

With a smirk, he turned around and left, leaving the cell door unlocked. Everything is going as planned… If this succeeds, there will be no reason to use Order 66. The clones will destroy the Republic from the inside out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut! Hooo boy, a lot happens in this one eh? xD  
> Like I said, the whole "Sixty Six being a trigger" is a personal headcannon - don't know if anyone else thinks so, but tell me what you think about it. Do you agree? Do you think it's possible? Or is it just stupid? Do tell!  
> Next one will be shorter, a small bit of a reunion and probably some more confusion. Fun!  
> Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading! Maybe consider reviewing? It's always amazing to hear what you all have to say and I love reading your thoughts!  
> Till next time~


	7. Tegaanalir (Rescue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay everyone! I finished this one quick, might have pulled an all nighter, and it's a sort of... 'before the storm' kinda of chapter. Adds a bit more before the next one (which will be big) so hope you don't mind =P
> 
> Now then, as I said, this one is kinda short (compared to the others) but it's supposed to be that way so...  
> Read, review and enjoy~

 

"Commander Tano," she was startled slightly by the sudden call of her name.

"Yes?" she turned around, strapping her lightsabers to her side. She relaxed, seeing it was only Tup – but he seemed far from it.

"…Is it true? A Sith is there as well?" she saw his jaw tighten a bit and her eyes dropped. She had almost forgotten Tup was a rookie when the Umbara Incident happened, where he met his firth Sith – even if Krell wasn't one officially one, he was still considered to be such.

"Yes, but don't worry," she tried to assure him. "My Master and I will deal with him. The rest of you need to find our boys."

"…Understood," she saw him trying to suppress the relief, but the Force around him spoke otherwise. She reached up, gently touching his forearm.

"Focus on your brothers Tup… I – We're leaving them in your care…"

"They're your brothers as well, Ahsoka."

* * *

He kept walking, even if he had to lean on the walls. Everything was still dizzy, still murky and he couldn't hear the screaming anymore. _He's dead…_

The thought alone forced him to move faster, quicker. _No. No, he can't be. He can't be!_ He stumbled forward but managed to catch himself in time and moved again.

 _Save… Need to save…_ The other voice was silent now and he found himself a bit lost. Where was he going? This place… looked like the Star Cruiser. It felt off – he had the whole place memorized but there were halls where there shouldn't be ones.

 _It's another trick._ The voice whispered, but it sounded distant. He shook it off – from the corner of his eye, he spotted an open door. _That way._ It spoke again, before seeming to vanish. He gritted his teeth and forced his legs to move, and as he did, the fog started to clear little by little. And then he saw him…

"REX!" he was beyond happy to see him, but horror wrapped around his heart as he saw the condition ori'vod was in.

 _No, no, nononono! He can't be- He can't be-!_ He stumbled forward at first, moving too quickly and almost falling, but that didn't stop him from running to the Captain.

"Rex? Rex! Can you hear me?" he panicked, checking the man for a pulse. "Ori'vod, wake up!" he shook as he dared to look away to find the controls for the straps.

* * *

He hadn't realized he fell asleep. At least, until he heard a distant shout of his name.

" _Who… who's calling me? What… do you need me to do?_ " His mind was swimming, lost at the moment, before feeling someone reaching for his head, his neck _. Attack. Someone's trying to kill-_ Two fingers on his throat. _Pulse. They're checking for a pulse…_

"Rex? Rex! Can you hear me?" he knew that voice but… he's never heard it so scared. So panicked. He wanted to answer, but couldn't seem to find the words.

"Ori'vod, wake up!" he grunted and opened his eyes just before feeling the straps around his body release. He would have smacked dead into the ground, had someone not grabbed him and held him steady.

"Please, wake up…" he was pleading now, gently lowering him onto the ground but still keeping a hold on him.

"Fives…" he managed, even if weakly. "I'm here…" things were starting to clear and he frowned as a massive headache started in his head.

"Rex!" the ARC Trooper smiled, pulling the blonde into a tight hug. "You're alive!" he buried his head in the Captain's shoulder. "I thought they killed everyone by now…"

"Fives, Fives, it's alright… I'm alright…" Rex carefully hugged the younger brother back. "And the others are here too. Trapped. But here," he said softly, feeling his brother pull away.

"But – But they told me they killed everyone…" Fives looked confused and lost as he sat back on his knees.

"They lied… They've been lying this whole time…" Rex closed his eyes, recalling what had happened a bit before. He finally saw the truth… "C'mon, we need to free the others," the Captain stood up, offering a hand. "And then we need to get back. To warn everyone."

* * *

He was curled up in the corner, hands on his head, trying to stop the screams. _So many dead, so many he couldn't save, so many lost, so many-_

"Kix…" he felt a hand on his shoulder and winced. He's been getting lost in the horrible memories, but Jesse has been gently bringing him back.

"Sorry…" he mumbled, unwrapping his arms around his knees.

"Umbara again?" he could only nod as the ARC Trooper ran a hand over his head.

"…You never talk about it…" Cinder spoke up, sitting a few paces away from the medic. "…I never knew it was this horrible…" the images he was forced to see made him throw up.

"…We didn't want anyone else to know…" Jesse said, resting a hand on the youngest shoulder. "I'm… sorry they forced you to see our memories of it…"

"It always makes me sick, remembering how many we lost… " Kix mumbled again, looking at a scratch on the metal. "And now… Who knows how many more we lost… Just because _they_ refused to act," he looked at his brothers, seeing their grief-ridden faces.

And then, the cell door opened, two figures standing there, the light of the hall casting them in shadows. Jesse instinctively stepped forward again, hands outstretched to protect his brothers. Kix was in ready position to jump if anyone attacked and Cinder moved closer to the both of them.

"Jesse, Kix, Cinder… You're all alive!" the voice called and they found themselves frozen in shock.

"I told you they were," that one made Jesse drop to his knees, Kix tremble because he didn't want to believe it just yet and Cinder needed to remember to breath.

"C'mon boys, let's get out of here," Rex and Fives stepped further in, giving small smiles and extending their arms.

"We never thought… we'd see you again," Kix actually spoke, seeing Jesse was in too much shock to even stand on his own.

"Same here vod… But everything will be alight now," Fives kneeled down to him, offering a hand which the medic quickly took.

"B-But, the ones who locked us up. They're-!" Cinder struggled with his words, but he didn't need to finish.

"We know… We know everything…" the Captain had a hard look in his eyes. "They're going to pay for it, trust me. They can't lie anymore…"

* * *

"The pets are still trying to sneak around. But at least they're being obedient," Grievous said as he watched the clones on the monitor. They were walking slowly and carefully, checking the halls and corridors.

"It's only natural. They believe they are escaping from the Jedi," Dooku had a smirk on his face as he looked at them.

"Um, sir?" a droid spoke up, turning in his chair.

"What is it?" the General growled, eyes narrowing.

"We have a ship entering our space."

"We did not request any supplies," this had the Count's attention.

"It's not one of ours, sir," the two leaders shared a quick look. "It's a Republic ship."

"Skywalker?!" they hissed in disbelieve and shock. "Surely he is not this mad!"

"I told you, Count!" Grievous was already leaving, likely heading for his own ship.

"This changes things…" Dooku put a hand on his beard. "However, I can work with it."

"And how would you do that?" the General stopped in front of the door.

"We will simply kill Skywalker. The clones will have their revenge sooner than they thought," he turned around, facing the cyborg. "But I shall require something from you, General."

* * *

He was walking right behind Rex, covering for Kix and Cinder, while Fives had their backs. They were going to make it… They were going to get out of this place and back home. He was just about to move, when the Captain put his arm out, stopping him.

"What is it?" he whispered, fear slowly creeping into his body. Behind him, the others stopped as well, waiting for an explanation.

"…We need to go back…" Rex sounded so distant, Jesse wasn't sure if he heard him right.

"What? Why? I thought we were escaping!" Fives was letting his anxious feelings show, looking over his shoulder for any enemies.

"Can't you hear it?" the blonde asked them, looking confused.

"Hear what?" Jesse asked before seeing Fives going slack.

"…Y-Yeah… I do," his eyes were distant for a few moments before focusing on them.

"I hear it…" Cinder nodded, blinking to regain himself.

"Kix?" Jesse asked, looking at the medic whose worry was written all over his face.

"I don't… I think," came his reply.

Just as Jesse was about to speak, he heard someone whisper. He didn't understand it at first, but after a few moments, the words became clear.

" _Return to the bridge… The Jedi have called in reinforcements… I can help you,_ " he was vaguely aware of Kix calling his name, before he too fell silent.

"Understand now?" Rex asked, waiting patiently for them.

"Yeah… We need to move," he nodded, shaking his head to regain his senses.

"And fast…" the medic's eyes went past the Captain, checking the hall.

* * *

"Ship in our sights sir," Jewels called, keeping the ship steady.

"Good. Get us in nice and easy…" Anakin had his hand on the seat, standing behind the pilot.

"…No one's attacking?" Cody's voice was laced with suspicion, arms crossed.

"Maybe they haven't noticed us?" Ahsoka frowned, not liking this.

"Doubtful…" Appo muttered next to her.

"If we know it's a trap, we'll be ready for them," Boil cracked his knuckles, ready to fight.

"How many do you think there are?" Tup suppressed a shudder at the number he imagined.

"R2, can you do a scan?" Skywalker turned to the droid, who beeped in return, poking an antenna out of his head. After a few seconds, he gave another answer.

"Six life forms and a couple of droids…" Ahsoka mused. She looked back at the ship, seeing it wasn't really that big, so there couldn't be more than maybe twenty of thirty droids. That, they could handle.

"…How many did you say were taken?" Anakin had a worried expression on his face.

"Six, sir," Tup spoke up before anyone else.

"…There are six people on board, and one of them is defiantly Dooku…" he didn't need to explain that for them to understand. The expression the brothers shared spoke for itself.

* * *

As they docked the ship, everyone was prepared for a fight. But there was no one. Not a single droid was present in the hanger bay.

"Jewels, stay with the ship. Who knows what kind of exit we'll need," Cody ordered as he stood on the ramp, waiting for the others to disembark.

"…Bring 'em home, okay?" Jewels looked at his brothers, eyes low.

"We will," Cody assured and set a hand on his shoulder.

"How do we find them now?" Tup asked, gripping the carbine tight.

"…Dooku is on the bridge…" Anakin said carefully, narrowing his eyes. "He's not even trying to hide his Force signature."

"He wants us to come to him," Ahsoka straightened her back, looking at him.

"Yeah, he does… But we're not here for him," the General let a frown show.

"The ship is too big to search randomly. Who knows where any clankers are hiding," Boil pointed out, checking the doors.

"If we can get the information from Dooku, it'd make looking for them much easier," Appo added, eyes scanning the place.

"If nothing else, the log in the bridge will help us. It's better than running around blind," Cody nodded, standing in front of the General.

"Fair enough. Everyone, get ready. We don't know what's waiting for us out there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut! Right, next one is gonna be a blast! I got it planned out, just need to write it fully down and then polish it. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing  
> Oh, since I forgot to mention it before... "Ori'vod" is Mando'a for "Big brother" which I figure Fives sees Rex as (along with pretty much the rest of the 501st) so being as worried and scared (plus drugged) as he is, he'd call him that.   
> Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this little bit and stick around for the next one! Fancy reviewing? Sweet! I love it when you do that! =D   
> Till next time~


	8. Or'parguur (Hate)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go everyone! This one is.. long. But a lot happens! I just really, really, REALLY hope I don't disappoint in this one, cause that's been the biggest fear for the past two days. Like, building up the hype and all, and the just kinda... meh. SO I just, hope very much you all like this one.
> 
> Okay, so, yeah, read, review and (hopefully) enjoy!

 

He hated how quiet it was… A ship should never be this quiet. Especially a Separatist one that was being infiltrated like this. And yet…

"I got a bad feeling about this…" he heard Boil mutter as they moved through the halls, following the two Jedi.

"You and me both…" Cody answered back, tightening his grip on his weapon. He tried not to think about what condition they'll find their brothers in. Or, who they'll find. _Already lost one._ He hated himself, how he wished it wasn't Rex. How selfish he was being, for wanting another brother to die, so this one could live. But he really couldn't help it. He's known Rex for so long now and they've been through so much.

"Get ready," they stopped in front of the door leading to the bridge. The General and Commander had both reached for their lightsabers, sharing a quick look.

"You heard him," Cody felt his heartrate quicken as everyone took hold of their weapons.

Skywalker gave a nod right before opening the door, running in with his lightsaber drawn, Tano right behind him. The clones moved instantly, following up, ready to shoot.

* * *

"General Skywalker," they heard him speak, standing on the bridge with his back to them. It was dark, save for the few lights near the door and the ones coming off the monitors.

"How kind of you to join us," he smirked as he turned around. His powers were flying all over the place, not even bothering to try and contain it. He was mocking them.

"This ends now, Dooku!" Anakin pointed his saber at the man, fire in his eyes.

"Why in such a rush? You've hardly arrived," the smirk never left and his hands were still behind his back.

"I've left my boys with you for too long. We'd hate to be a bother," the General tried at some snarky comments, but the soldiers by his side only tensed.

"On the contrary. We've all enjoyed each other's company," Anakin quickly lost his wittiness, eyes going hard.

"Where are our brothers?" Ahsoka actually spoke up, eyes glaring at the Count.

"I hadn't realized you were related," the Sith's smirk just kept growing.

"Tell us where they are and we'll be on our way," Anakin was trying to work around the uneasiness he was feeling. The soldiers were tense, the Padawan was losing control and the Count was _far too_ relaxed. Something inside told him strike now, before the horrible feeling he had managed to fully manifest.

"Certainly Skywalker," Dooku gave a mock bow. "Everyone, if you'd please. There is someone who wishes to speak to you."

The Jedi felt a tremor in the Force as fives figures stepped forward from the dark. Five very familiar figures. And yet, the Force around them was twisted; dark and menacing.

* * *

"…Boys?" Ahsoka was the first to regain her voice, frozen at the sight.

Rex and Fives were both standing a bit away from the Count, one on each side. Kix and Cinder walked up to them from the left and right side, while Jesse came up from behind. But there was something very, _very_ wrong here…

"Rex, what's going on?" Anakin asked carefully, eyes going from one man to the other.

"…" the Captain remained quiet, yet his eyes – all of their eyes. Skywalker needed a second to check if he saw right. They were glowing in rage and he could have sworn he saw a shimmer of yellow on the edges.

"Captain, why don't you tell the good Jedi what you have realized," the five missing men tensed up as each one took a step forward.

"Rex!" Cody called, his blaster aimed at the blonde. "What the kriff are you doing?!"

"…You don't see it, Cody," Rex spoke, sorrow and sadness in his eyes. "They've been lying to us - _to all of us!_ \- all this time," his expression changed to anger as he looked at the Jedi.

"What are you talking about?" Ahsoka asked, trying to control her emotions.

"We're talking about the Jedi," Fives said this time, a deep scrawl on his face. "And how they've always lied. Everything they say are lies!" he pointed a finger at the two.

"Stand down Fives!" Anakin shifted his saber to a blocking formation.

"No! We're done listening to you!" Jesse hissed, taking a step forward.

"Calm down, all of you!" Appo said yet readied himself as well.

"You don't see it yet, but you will," Kix looked guilty as he prepped his weapon.

"Snap out of it! You're not yourselves!" Boil kept looking from brother to brother.

"No, you're wrong! We just know the truth now!" Cinder was shaking as he too his aim.

"What have you done to them?!" Skywalker turned his eyes on the Count, who never stopped smirking.

"I have done nothing, Skywalker. Simply showed them the truth of _your_ actions," the Sith had a gleam in his eyes as he spoke.

* * *

Anakin let out a low growl, before moving forward, saber above him and planning to strike the Count down right there and then. But just before he could hit the Sith, two lightsabers stopped his in its tracks. And they were both blue.

"What the-?!" everyone watched in disbelieve as Fives and Rex blocked the attack, each carrying a lightsaber.

"Time to pay for your crimes, Jedi!" behind them, another one was activated and Jesse did a few quick swipes with the weapon, his own glowing green.

Tup tensed up, looking at his missing brothers, fearing another one would pull out a lightsaber. But they didn't. Seems like only those three had them.

"Where did you get those?" Anakin gritted his teeth as he tried to push past the two sabers, but he couldn't. He didn't want to hurt his men and they clearly knew how to use the weapon. But he never-

"A parting gift from General Grievous. It's remarkable really, how they've subtly been studying and learning the way you Jedi move," Dooku didn't even flinch from the deadly weapons inches away from his face. "And they aren't even aware of it."

The three were locked in a stalemate for a few moments, before Anakin jumped back. He can't fight his own men – he won't. As soon as he was away, the saber-wielding clones moved forward again, striking.

* * *

"Jesse! Stop!" Ahsoka called, blocking the attack. From the corner of her eye, she saw Boil moving around Kix, trying not to hurt him.

"I'll stop when you're dead!" he pressed harder, but she used a bit of the Force to gain some leverage and rolled out of the way. Her Master was backing away from Fives and Rex, his eyes pinning down Dooku who was far too amused.

"Commander!" her momentary distraction gave Jesse the chance to recover and he was back to attacking. But before he could actually connect, Tup fired his carbine rifle, getting his attention. She saw the two look at each other in shock, but the rookie swallowed and readied himself again.

"Don't do this Tup…" Jesse clearly didn't want to fight him, but was willing to if need be.

"I'm not the one who's wrong!" she can't imagine what it's like for the poor kid, fighting against older brothers he's always looked up to.

"Commander, go help the General! I can handle this!" he called to her and for the first time since this whole fiasco started, he sounded sure of himself.

"I'm counting on you!" she nodded back and rushed to her Master's side.

"They're controlling you, Tup! Can't you see that?" Jesse hissed, glaring at the retreating Jedi. But as soon as he tried to move, a blaster blot hit the spot next to him.

"Dooku's the one controlling you!" the rookie was at such a loss here. Never, in his wildest dreams, did he expect to do this. Not again. Umbara was enough for all their short life.

"He's the one who showed us the truth!" the ARC ran forward, saber ready to swing.

Tup actually froze there, breath hitching as his body wouldn't listen. How was this happening? How was he facing a brother like this?

Jesse saw the younger one freeze and something in his mind just… clicked. He stopped in front of the rookie, eyes hard and jaw locked.

"I'm sorry about this, Tup," he whispered and punched the rookie in the chest, effectively knocking him to the ground. "But you need to let us finish this."

* * *

"Cinder, snap out of it!" Appo dodged the blaster and aimed his weapon.

"I don't want to hurt you!" the kid was shaking as he held the weapon and his expression showed just how conflicted he was. "But I can't let them win!"

"The Jedi aren't our enemies! They came here to save you!" the Sergeant narrowed his eyes.

"No, they came to finish the job! They're lying to you!" Cinder yelled and fired again, clearly aiming to incapacitate not kill.

"Damn kid, stop!" Appo hissed, firing back himself but missing as the younger clone ducked.

"You'll see. He'll show you. Then you'll understand," the rookie called, voice still shaking as he took aim again. But before he actually could, someone crashed into him, sending them both to the ground.

"Too harsh," Appo panted, seeing Boil almost growling.

"He wouldn't listen!" the 212th man caught his breath, just as Kix and Cinder picked themselves up.

"You'll regret that!" the medic wiped away some of the blood on his lip.

"Already do…" Boil readied himself as Kix tried to blast him again, but he kept inching closer.

"Stay down kid. You can't win this," the Sergeant said as Cinder aimed again.

"I can't do that. I need to help my brothers."

* * *

Anakin was losing ground quickly and he really wasn't seeing many more options than to fight. He never expected clones to be so good at wielding a Jedi weapon, but then again, if they really have been learning his moves, it shouldn't come as such a surprise.

He had just blocked a stab from Fives when he saw Rex swinging in from his flank. But before it got anywhere, a yellow saber intervened, stopping the attack. A green one also pushed Fives back and Skywalker saw Ahsoka standing by his side.

"Thanks Snips," he nodded, finally having a second to catch his breath.

"Take out the Count. I'll take care of our boys," she didn't even look at him, keeping her gaze locked with the anger in Rex's eyes.

"…Are you sure?" he asked as he saw Fives recovering, glaring at them both.

"He _has_ to be controlling them. They're fighting their brothers! They would _never_ do that," she sounded so sure, that he had no words to argue.

"Alright then. Just be careful," he nodded and cast his eyes past the soldiers, to the Sith still standing with his hands behind his back.

"Same to you," she gave a final smile before having to block an attack from Fives. In that moment, Skywalker jumped over them, bringing his lightsaber out at the same time and connecting with the red one of the Count.

"Let me thank you for your hospitality!" Anakin frowned as he pressed down, finally seeing the older man frown a bit.

* * *

Tup had been knocked down and he saw Jesse coming up on the Commander, who was already dealing with two lightsaber-wielding-brothers. He wasn't about to let her go against all three. So, he fired, locking his jaw and steeling his nerves. And he hit.

Jesse let out a howl, gripping his left shoulder where a scorch mark was from his blaster and Cody quickly ran forward, blasting at the other two as well. Fives backed away, looking more betrayed than he felt, but Rex deflected the blaster bolts, much like a Jedi would.

"Cody!" the Captain called, shock in his voice. "Don't interfere!"

"You're making a mistake, Rex! I'm not about to stand around and let you finish it!" he bit back, standing back to back with Tano.

"Thanks," he heard her whisper and allowed himself to smile.

"We can't get close enough with those lightsabers… Do you think you could disarm them?" he asked carefully as his brothers seemed to recover from his intervention. Jesse was still in pain, his was apparently ignoring it as he inched closer.

"I might need a few seconds to concentrate," she answered back, preparing her weapon.

"Understood," he nodded and in moment, pulled a smoke bomb from his belt. He caught a glimpse of the Jedi concentrating before the bomb connected with the ground and surrounded all five of them in smoke.

* * *

She had been grateful for Cody's actions and she'd make most of it now. The moment she saw him reaching for the smoke bomb, she concentrated on the Force. It was wild, jumping all around the place, distraught… It shimmered around her allies, it growled around her confused brothers, it roared around her Master and it burned with the Count. But she has to look past most of it, to the growling…

She saw the saber through the smoke and threw her hands up, putting all her strength into the Force. She may be strong, but these were three grown man in full body armor. Even her Master might have some problems with that. But she ignored the pain in her arms, gritting her teeth, struggled to lift them. But she managed. With a deep breath, she focused on their arms, the weapon in them and tore it away from their hold.

There was a yell as she abruptly dropped them, unable to keep up the hold. They crashed, their armor hitting the metal floor with a loud clang and crushing the sabers and she herself dropped to her knees, exhausted. But as she moved the Force, he also moved the smoke and unfortunately Cody. He managed to duck, but the strength of the pull still left him slightly dizzy. Once the smoke cleared, she saw Jesse had landed not-so-elegantly on his back, Fives was picking himself up from his knees and Rex was already standing.

"…Rex…" she whispered, seeing the _hate_ in his eyes as he glared at her. It was so _wrong_ , so _strange_ and it _hurt_ her. "Vod…" she tried as he walked closer, his dual blasters out.

"Don't you _dare_ call me that," he hissed, leveling the guns with her head.

"…Go ahead," she said, looking into his hated eyes. "If you truly believe I'd ever hurt you, or your brothers," she wanted to say 'my brothers' _so badly_ , but she knew she couldn't. Not at this moment. "Then pull the trigger," she didn't move, made no attempt to stop him. Only watched. Somewhere, inside, she knew it was wrong. She should fight. But this was her brother – she just couldn't! In the back of her head, a voice whispered so silently, she might have missed… _Trust the Force… Trust him._ And so she did…

He felt his heartrate spike as he walked over to the Padawan. He's been in an almost identical situation once before. With Krell.

 _Right your wrongs… Kill this traitor._ The voice has been stronger ever since they've come here, but it flickered every now and then. As if it wasn't focused. And as he stood in front of her, his weapon raised, he saw she didn't plan to fight. She had accepted death.

 _An execution._ He locked his jaw as he recalled what happened on Umbara. How he didn't have the courage to kill the bastard. But now? Now he does.

… _Do I really?_

His own voice whispered, in the back of his mind. The other one was silent now; busy it seemed with… something. He felt like he should know, but wasn't sure. He hadn't even noticed his arm was shaking as he pointed it at the Jedi.

 _Pull the trigger. Rid the world of another monster. Save your_ _ **vode**_ _._ The word sounded strange with the voice… it didn't fit. But it did make him remember something. _Vode_. She… she was also his sister – everyone's sister. _He'd be killing a vod…_

"Rex…?" her voice brought him back and he was still standing there, arm shaking, unable to move or speak. But her voice and eyes both showed hope.

Before he could do anything, or anyone else could speak, he felt _something_ ram into him, knocking him to the ground. Moments later, he realized it was a _someone_ , as they sat on his chest, their arms keeping his at bay.

"REX!" he saw it was Cody, who was now forcing his body to be still. "STOP!"

* * *

They looked at each other for a few seconds, one brother in shock and hate, the other with sadness and frustration.

"Get off me Cody!" Rex tried to rise up, but the Commander held him still.

"No! Not until you see what you're doing!" Cody slammed him back into the ground.

"I'm saving my brothers!" Rex hissed and pushed again, gaining leverage with his legs and managed to turn their positions around.

"You're not saving anyone!" the elder clone head-butted him, getting leverage himself and pushing the younger one off.

Rex shook his head, the edges of his vision blurring. _There were screams all around him, but he couldn't tell which ones were real and which were from the past. Blaster fire rang in his ear, the calls of his brothers. He heard laughing as lightsabers activated and the cries as brothers fell._

"You don't understand!" he yelled and ran forward, hitting Cody with his shoulder and knocking him into a wall. _More yells as they realized what they've done. What Krell made them do. The explosion in the background as he knocked a brother to the side to save his life, but two more didn't make it. The Jedi, laughing in the background, mocking._

"Then make me understand!" Cody sucked in a breath before bringing up his leg, kicking the blonde in the chest. "Because this makes no sense to me!"

 _Someone was screaming again. A brother. The yell. An echo. No…_ _ **Echo.**_ The Citadel flashed in his mind, how little the Jedi really cared about them. _Tano walking around, checking on them. Asking. She talked to Fives. Why-?_

"How many deaths could have been avoided of the Jedi cared!" Rex wasn't even sure of his surroundings anymore. _Where he was. On a ship? Planet side? Training ground?_ Everything was blurring together, but the man in front of him was constant. _Cody. Brother. He needs to understand. Make him understand._

Cody was starting to have enough. So when his brother tried for a punch to the chest, he managed to grab his arm and hold it steady. The shock on Rex's face spoke for itself, but he focused on his legs instead. He used his own to knock the blonde on his back, getting into the same position as when they started.

"The Jedi aren't to blame!" he yelled, still holding the Captain's arm. "I know you don't believe that!" he hesitated only for a second, because this was going to hurt his brother more than any weapon ever could.  
"Know why? Because of these!" he twisted the arm he was holding, almost shoving the forearm guard into the man's face. "Because of those marks! You told me and only me what they really mean!" he saw Rex's eyes move to the numerus scratches on his armor. "The deaths of all your brothers! You don't blame the Jedi for those deaths, **you blame yourself!"**

_He saw faces flash before his eyes and he knew the name of each one. Bolt, Bishop, Jezdec, Tin, Lander, Mako, Link, Turm, Hector, Ember, Pion, Redge, Heavy, Echo, Oz, Ringo, Hardcase- and so many more._

And then he thrashed around, cursing at the voice as it tried to **lie** to him. Lie about those deaths. But it couldn't. Because Cody knew him so damn well and knew what he was saying was true. Because that was a thing at his very core – what made him who he was. Always carrying those deaths on his shoulders.

Cody released his brother as he started struggling, still sitting on his chest, but slowly backing off. He hated how he had to resort to that, but it worked. Whatever had taken hold of Rex, it was gone now, a sudden wave of _something_ passed through both of them.

"…Rex?" he asked after a minuet, when the blonde had calmed down. "You with me?"

"Cody…" he looked so lost, but it was him. He was back.

* * *

He was just getting to his feet when everything happened so fast… Rex was just about to kill the damn Jedi, when he seemed to freeze right there and then. _Must be another Jedi trick!_ And seconds later, before he even had a chance to help, Cody of all people knocks the Captain to the ground, sending them both tumbling down. He was torn there, weather to help his brother or kill the Jedi. But he didn't get to choose either…

"Fives…" he heard someone call and turned around, seeing Tup standing there with his weapon aimed at him. There was a bruise on his head, around the eye, but he still stood strong and ready.

"Tup, what do you think you're doing?" he would never hurt a brother and neither would Tup. Not after everything they've been through.

"Stopping you from doing something you'll regret!" the rookie called, his voice shaking _. Just what did those Jedi do to him?!_

"I'm doing this for all my brothers! Can't you see that?" Fives took a step forward. He wasn't about to try and kill his brother.

"No, no you're not! You're doing what Count Dooku wants you to! Can't _you_ see **that**?" Tup's eyes flickered behind him, where the Padawan was getting to her feet.

"When had she ever tried to hurt you?!" Tup yelled and Fives found himself seeing images of the many battles he's fought in, of all that's happened.

_She shielded him and his brothers from enemy fire. She used the Force to stop rubble from crushing them. She laughed and ate with them in the mess. She came to talk to him after Echo's death. She-_

He shook his head, sudden pain exploding in it. _What… What was going on?_ This felt so wrong, but at the same time-

 _Lies. It's all lies. She pretended. She used you. She LIED!_ The voice hissed in his head, but he couldn't shake those memories. It felt so… real. _You can't fake feelings like that…_

Suddenly, there was screaming. Someone… someone was screaming. Moments later, he was on the ground, hands on his head _. It was him… he was the one screaming._

_**It's all because of the Jedi!** _ _No, no it wasn't! What could they have done? Droid Bait, Cutup, Heavy and Echo were lost because of himsel- No, because of the Separatist._

_**An obedient little pet…**_ _That's what he's been all this time. What they've all been. Not to the Jedi –_ _ **yes to them as well**_ _– but to Grievous and Dooku._

 _ **Stopping you from doing something you'll regret!**_ _Oh, oh no… He's hurt them – he's hurt his brothers. But he would never-_

_They used you… not the Jedi – the Separatists. They used you and your brothers…_

Tup was calling out for him. In seconds, he was by his side, shaking him. But the pain in his head was too much. Too strong _. Make it stop; make it stop, makeitstop-!_

* * *

"Fives! Fives, c'mon, fight it!" Tup called, not daring to touch the man at first. But as he started curing into himself, he put both hands on his shoulders, holding him steady.

"Look at me!" he called, hoping it'd work. When the ARC opened his eyes, they were so pained; Tup wondered how he wasn't crying yet. But he pushed that thought at the back of his mind, focusing instead on his brother.

"You're okay! You're safe! No one can hurt you anymore!" he saw Fives started to calm down, his breathing rapid but calming. And then he felt _something_ move past him, vanishing into nothingness a few seconds later.

"Tup… I'm so sorry!" Fives' eyes were glassed over as he pulled the younger man into a bone-crushing hug. "I – I couldn't- Someone was-!" he couldn't even speak.

"It's alright, ori'vod… I know…" Tup nodded, eyes closed to keep the tears from falling as he hugged the brother back. He was back. He was himself again.

* * *

Kix stopped where he stood, turning towards where the screams were coming from. His eyes widened as he saw Fives on the ground, holding his head in pain with Tup by his side. And Cody was pinning Rex down not far from there, the two yelling at each other.

 _Help. Protect. Save. Move!_ His instinct as a medic screamed at him and he would do anything to help his brothers. But…

"Out of my way!" he shouted at Boil, who was blocking his path. He aimed his weapon at the man, body tense. "I _will_ go through you if I have to!" _His brothers needed him. He needed to help them. He had to-_

"Haven't we killed each other enough on Umbara?!" Boil yelled back, teeth gritted and eyes burning. In seconds, Kix found it hard to breathe.

_Death. So much death. So many gone. So many wounded. Screams of pain, cries of help, please of the Umbarans. Blood. Blood on his hands. He killed – he killed a brother. No, no, no! He's supposed to save them! But he didn't know. He didn't know. Hedidn'tknow-_

"…What are we doing?" his voice broke, eyes empty and stinging as he dropped his weapon. He was losing focus on where he was, body numb and eyes clouded. _The screams were still there, calling for him, for him to save them._ He looked around, lost and confused and in pain. "What have I done…?" he whispered and Boil shuddered at a sudden coldness passing through him, but quickly shook it off, as the medic fell to his knees.

Boil seemed to relax, checking for a few seconds before walking over to the medic. He was still out of it, lost in his own memories, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. _Boil. It was… Boil. Oh, how was he supposed to tell him about Waxer?_ But… the hand. It felt real. Not like the grabs and yells of his brothers. _This was real… and this wasn't Umbara_.

"You did what Dooku wanted you to…" Boil whispered, his eyes sympathetic as he looked at the broken medic. He hated, how he stuck such a low blow as Umbara… but knew that if anyone is going to just – stop with the mere mention of it, it would be the medic.

* * *

Jesse had been dancing around with Tano, using his weapon to try and fight. But at the screams of his brothers, he took pause. Rex was down, fighting Cody. Fives was down, screaming in pain. Kix was down, looking lost and empty. Cinder was still on his feet, battling against Appo. But everyone else…

 _They are going to die…_ The voice had been silent for a while now, but it spoke again. Almost hissed. _Kill the Jedi and save them!_ It came as an order and he let out a yell. He didn't even care anymore, as he charged the Jedi in front of him. Didn't hear whatever she yelled when he jumped on her, knocking the both of them to the ground. _Just like Krell! They only cause destruction and death! They only hurt!_ He won't let it happen again. _Fight. Kill. Save._ He didn't feel his body anymore as he readied himself to fight the Jedi in hand-to-hand. But of course the bastards would fight dirty.

Before he could even land a punch, Tano had used the Force and levitated him upwards. And then she slammed his body into the ceiling with everyone hearing something crack. His armor. The breath got knocked out of his lungs as his vision dimmed.

_He's going to die to a Jedi… and he couldn't save his brothers. What a damn disgrace… But he probably deserved to go out like this…_

"Jesse! Oh Force, I'm so sorry!" he heard her yell and felt himself be lowered gently to the ground. Everything was fuzzy… _Wasn't she supposed to be the enemy? Why was she being so gentle…?_ But, he found it much easier to breathe a bit later, and the Jedi looked surprised, as if someone had rammed into her. But she was back to herself in moments.

"Please, don't die on me," she almost whispered, checking his pulse. _She wanted him to live… She cared. She wouldn't hurt him or anyone else… So why…_

"Ahsoka?" he asked, confused, and saw her face lit up. Everything still hurt but it felt like that hit blocked off the voice.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me."

* * *

Cinder looked away from Appo as he heard his brothers' screams and yells and found himself at a loss. They were losing and yet none of them has died. He stood still for a few seconds, before feeling an armored fist connect with his jaw.

"Wake up, damnit!" Appo yelled, his fists still raised as he used enough force to stagger the rookie, but not to do any real harm.

Cinder felt dizzy and his head hurt a lot more than it should as he tried to regain his senses. Shaking his head, he cleared away some of the fog and looked in confusion from one man to the other, eyes widening.

"What are we doing?" he saw Appo hesitate before relaxing slightly himself, walking closer and offering a hand.

"Pretty sure no one's sure."

* * *

Anakin smiled as he saw the Count's frown deepen. He wasn't sure what was going on, but whatever it was, was making the man sloppier. He had heard his men scream and came close to checking on them, but he trusted the others. He had to. With each scream though, it looked like the Sith was getting a mental feedback.

" _So he_ _ **was**_ _controlling them!_ " Skywalker concluded, having his saber blocked.

"Problem, Count?" he moved with a smirk, hearing the man let out a growl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut! Alright there we go! Again, I really hope this chapter delivered so please, PLEASE, tell me what you thought! It'd mean the world to me!  
> Also, sorry for all the jumping around - I hope it's clear-ish with the parted lines and all.  
> Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed that one and thanks for reading! Reviewing on this one would be the best thing ever and I'd love you forever!   
> Till next time~


	9. Eyaytir (Escape)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wop wop! Here's the second to last chapter! Also, all of you are so kriffing awesome, know that? Seriously! I love you all! Thanks so much for all the nice reviews on the last chapter - it really made feel good about it!
> 
> Alrightly, this one is shorter than the last one (in fact I think the next one will be as long as this one? Not sure just yet) and we're close to the end now!  
> Read, review and enjoy~

 

He could feel his hold on the clones slip the longer this fight went on. He still tried, while they were keeping the Jedi busy, but with Skywalker jumping at him, it got slightly harder. However, he seemed to have underestimated the 'bond' these lab freaks shared. He hadn't counted on them being so easily stopped by one of their own.

Dooku tried controlling them, but the Captain was a bomb waiting to explode, lost and fighting with his own memories and feelings. He barely managed to get a few words in, but doubted many of them even reached him.

The aggressive ARC Trooper was wide open for a few seconds, but the moment his brother stepped closer, Dooku knew things would get complicated. He managed to slip a few whispers in, but the cursed child knocked down the wall of hate for the Jedi.

He wasn't even able to properly reach the medic, as the moment he saw his brothers in pain, his own desire and wish to help overrode everything else. Nothing reached him, his training as a field medic stronger than he was at the moment.

With the other ARC Trooper, he sized the opening and could feel the clone submitting. However, the child of a Jedi broke the hold when she slammed him into the ceiling and he lost his hold again, leaving the whole thing alone.

He hadn't even bothered much with the youngest, as Skywalker was increasing his attacks and power. He had no more time to try and control the clones and diverged all his attention at the Jedi in front of him.

He hadn't thought about what failing at controlling them would do. With the clones slipping out of his reach, his previous power over them backlashed on him. The feedbacks struck him directly and gave Skywalker more than a few openings and opportunities.

* * *

Anakin could _feel_ the Force shake with what was happening behind him, giving him a bit of insight. The anger and hate turned into pain and confusion, even sorrow, as things seemed to calm down ever so slightly. He was relived – finally he can focus solely on the Sith.

"You failed!" he called, another swing being blocked. "Whatever your plan was, it's over!"

"It would seem so, yes," Dooku had a deep frown, his eyes narrowing. "However, this is not the end!" suddenly, the older man deactivated his saber and Skywalker only had a few moments to process what was going to happen.

Lighting stuck him dead in the chest, propelling him through the air into the middle of the room where Kix, Boil, Ahsoka and Jesse were. He groaned in pain, breath coming hard as he struggled to his feet. He saw the others around him collecting themselves, but knew everyone was exhausted by this, so they couldn't do much in this situation.

"Stay away from him!" he heard Ahsoka yell, standing protectively in front of him. The three clones were there as well, the rest slowly getting to their feet.

"I have had enough of you meddling children!" the Count yelled and shoved the air with his hands. The Force he used knocked every person standing away, into the walls and floor. Jesse, Tup and Boil collided together, Fives landing in the heap after them. Ahsoka hit the wall first, trying to stop Cody and Rex from colliding atop her as well. Cinder, Appo and Kix rolled on the ground before coming to a stop by the entrance.

Anakin himself could feel the pressure on his back, keeping him still and steady as the Sith walked closer, his saber treading lightly above the ground. He tried moving, but the Force was too strong and he dropped back down on his stomach.

"Your intervention here was mostly unexpected," Dooku spoke calmly and slowly now, always coming closer. "However, it was foolish. You risked everything for a few clones, and now you will die, your Padawan will be used for information and the clones will relive the process of before. You have done nothing here, Skywalker. Expect sealed your own fa-," the man didn't get to finish as suddenly, he started struggling and walking backwards, his lightsaber swinging around aimlessly.

Anakin felt the Force lessen and managed to look up at what had happened and couldn't really believe what he saw.

* * *

Fives and Rex were the first ones to regain themselves, having crashed the lightest, even if it was into their brothers. But they managed and saw the Count walking towards the General. Suddenly, a voice in their minds screamed at them. Not like before, the seductive and sweet whispers. This was a full blown scream, telling them to save the General. To protect him. They weren't sure if they should follow, but then it echoed – _Remember. Remember._ _ **Remember!**_ And they did. Of all the times Skywalker had saved them, saved one of their own, or was simply there for them. _Jedi are brothers in arms. Vode._

Both shared a quick look and moved in unity instantly, jumping onto the man who was clearly too focused on the Jedi. They took him by surprise, one holding his left arm and torso and the other his side and legs. Not the most graceful attack, but it worked.

Cody got himself up next, quickly followed by Kix and Jesse. The 212th man saw his brothers attacking Dooku and recalled himself doing a similar thing to Grievous. Just when he thought the 501st couldn't get any more insane…

"Unhand me, rats!" Dooku hissed and managed to throw the two off himself with the Force, sending them skidding across the ground. He glared at the Captain and was tempted to attack the downed man, but Skywalker jumped right back into the fight, saber swinging.

"Everyone that can stand – help those who can't and get off this ship!" the General yelled, pressing down on the red blade.

"Understood!" the few clones on their feet quickly scurried with the orders.

Kix checked if anyone had broken bones before helping Cinder. Jesse went to help Fives, but the ARC shook his head in refusal, going towards Tup. Instead, Jesse helped Boil, who was hardly standing. Cody had checked on Rex, but the man was already half-carrying half helping to walk Ahsoka, so he settled for trying to cover the General, where Appo was already helping.

Skywalker looked over his shoulder for a moment, seeing everyone gathering, before ducking to allow Cody and Appo to fire at the Sith. Dooku naturally deflected it, but that momentary distraction gave Anakin enough time to get away. He saw Cody was running by his side, Appo trying to shot back, while the others were already moving on ahead.

"Jewels, get the ship ready! We're coming in hot!" Cody called into his com. unit.

" _Of course you are, the 501_ _st_ _is here,_ " Jewels said back, amusement in his voice.

"All units! Peruse the Republic dogs!" they heard Dooku's voice echoing in the halls and cursed. Of course there'd be droids coming in now…

* * *

They were running as best they could with their hurt brothers, but droids were filling into the hallway, trying to block them off. The ones moving had gotten new weapons from those who came to save them, so they were at least not defenseless.

"I-I'm fine, Fives. I can walk," they heard Tup grumble, trying to get the older clone to let him walk on his own.

"No, you're not! We just need to keep moving!" the ARC Trooper almost growled, ducking behind some pillars.

"If you can fight, then do… We'll be fine here," Cinder added, holding his side as Kix set him down by another pillar. How he wished he had his pack with him.

"I… can fight," Ahsoka wobbled on her feet, trying to use her lightsabers.

"Not today vod'ika," Rex shook his head, catching her as she almost dropped.

"Go, Jesse, I got it," Boil nodded, wincing a bit but standing.

The three most able and free people were covering their backs, both Skywalker and Cody making sure no droids got past the doors while Appo set up some charges.

"Anyone, got a popper?" Rex asked, seeing Boil reaching for the bomb and tossing it to Jesse. "Fives, get ready to fire!" he added to the ARC, who begrudgingly nodded. "Kix and Boil – help the wounded move and get them to the hanger," he saw the two glance at the hurt, giving affirmative nods.

"Ready."

"Ready."

"Go!"

Jesse tossed the popper and it went off a second later, shocking the gathered droids. Fives and Rex instantly shot from their spots, moving to the middle, so those who weren't hit by the EMP would focus on them. Boil tossed Tup over his shoulder and had Cinder lean on him, while Kix put one of Ahsoka's arms over his shoulder and helped her run past the fallen enemies. The three covered their retreating forms, going as far as exposing themselves fully to the enemy so the droids had no choice but to ignore the wounded.

"I see you boys are having fun!" Anakin called as he rushed in the middle of their small circle, a grin on his face. Cody came rolling in, firing at them while Appo threw a popper that took care of another wave.

The three had a momentary pause, the past few days and memories rushing back to them. They couldn't fire for a second as the Jedi shielded them, but seeing Appo and Cody fighting by his side brought them back quickly. _This isn't the time. Not now._ They might still be confused and boggled by everything, but they knew they could trust this man.

* * *

They could see the ship now, already powered up and waiting. Jewels was by the doors, extending his arm to take hold of anyone injured. Boil had to put Tup into his arms as he helped Cinder walk the rest of the way. Kix was still running with the Padawan and carefully sat her down on one of the seats.

"Get ready! The rest are close behind!" the medic informed and Jewels was behind the pilot seat in seconds.

"I see 'em!" Boil pointed at the incoming forms, Jesse and Appo running towards them with Cody trying to cover them, the General and Captain dealing with the enemies at their back, and Fives preparing another popper.

"Hanger doors are closing!" Jewels yelled, leaning from his seat. "Everyone needs to be here yesterday!" the ship was already taking off.

"Hurry!" the ones on the ship called as the first three jumped on, quickly turning back to help their brothers.

"Not gonna make it!" Fives hissed, ducking under some blaster fire.

"Oh yes you will!" Skywalker had fire in his eyes as he extended both arms to his soldiers, lifting them up and shoving them to the ship. Again, they froze in fear of what the man would do. What Dooku made them believe would do. But seeing what really happened, forced them to forget about it. They landed ungracefully and got the help of their brothers, but they faced their General, who was still running to the retreating ship.

_Jedi. They help. They save. Help them. Save them. Protect them. They're brothers in arms. Defend your vode._

The three 501st boys who were able seemed to move with the same idea in a second. Rex dropped down, past the ramp as Fives took hold of his legs and Jesse held him steady. Appo, Cody and Boil joined in a second, ready for the pull that will need to come.

"General!" Rex called, arms open and waiting.

Anakin looked up and hesitated only a second, before jumping, just reaching the Captain's arms and taking hold. There was a pull as the two moved down a bit, but the men holding them steady were stronger and managed to pull them both to safety.

"Jewels! GO!" the pilot didn't need any more words before flying as fast as he could past the closing doors and entered hyperspace a few seconds later.

* * *

As they all sat or stood in the ship, they shared a look. Five of the 501st looked so tired, they were already half collapsed. Jesse and Fives were leaning on each other, Cinder sitting close by. Cody and Boil looked at each other, then glanced at Tup and Appo who were already sharing a worried look. Ahsoka had stood up from her seat and moved to her boys, dropping down next to Rex who was on the ground, lying on his back, hands on his face. Skywalker was panting, sitting down with his hands on his knees, looking at the soldiers.

He could feel their emotions tremble in the Force, their mental shield pretty much destroyed. Cinder was just a ball of confusion, Kix had a cloud of shame and guilt flowing overhead, Jesse had disappointment oozing out of him. The worse off were Fives and Rex, the former holding his stomach in nausea and pain as the Captain shook with fear and self-loathing. He could catch parts of their experience, but closed himself off to it before he actually took anything from it. He shouldn't pry into this…

There was so much tension, so many questions and so many feelings all shifting around. No one knew what to say, how to ask about it or what to do about it. So, they all sat in silence for a few minutes.

"…How are you feeling?" Anakin finally couldn't take it anymore and had to ask. The five previously missing clones gave him a look, before sharing one amongst themselves.

"Strange and confused…" Fives answered, looking at the floor.

"We don't… even know what… really happened," Cinder had no idea how to explain.

"It's all just… blended together," Jesse rubbed his eyes and let out a breath.

"Feels more like a nightmare than much else…" Kix said weakly, looking down.

"…Sirs," Rex sat up, his eyes tired and sorrowful as he looked at the Jedi. "For – for everything that happened. For all that we said- We didn't- We're so-," he didn't get to finish his already broken sentence before Skywalker put his hand up.

"It's alright. Really," the General had a gentle and kind look on his face. "That was the Dark Side we fought, not you… But you fought against it. And won. That's something."

"…But still! What we said… It's… It didn't… feel as wrong as it should have," Jesse shook his head, looking with pleading eyes.

"…Let's talk about this when we're all back home, alright? You must all be tired…" Ahsoka bit her lip as she spoke.

"As you say…" they all looked away, trying to comprehend what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut! This one feels a bit clunky at certain bits, but then again, so does the series. One more to go people! Almost done  
> Okay so, just wanna toss this out: you can always come scream about this story (or any other story, star wars in general or clones and the like) on tumblr: "shadow-is-upon-us" and "brothers-all" is where you'll find me =)  
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading! If you'd review, that'd be awesome sauce!   
> Till next time~


	10. Yaim'ol (Homecoming)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay everyone, here we are! I worked fast on this one to bring the story to a close. I really hope you all enjoyed the journey, and thank you so much for reading it!
> 
> Also, I had to make someone a bit of an a-hole among the Council and I just chose someone. Sorry if they happen to be to your liking ^^"  
> As always, read, review and enjoy!

 

It was a silent trip back to the _Resolute_ , and they saw the _Negotiator_ had arrived as well. The missing clones had somehow huddled together in a corner, just trying to grasp the situation while the rest gave them space or anything they needed really. No one had asked about Svak and the five were grateful for that. They doubted they could handle explaining that…

"Prepare for landing," Jewels announced and everyone tensed a bit. There'd be a lot of explaining to do – something none of them really wanted.

As the ship landed, the soldiers got to their feet and readied themselves. Their brothers stood close by, showing they're ready to step in if need be. When the doors opened, there was probably half if not more of the 501st waiting, along with a few squads from 212th while General Kenobi stood at the front.

"Master," Anakin was the first one out, followed by Ahsoka. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Yes well, I figured I would check on the situation," Obi-Wan had a small smile on his face as he spotted Cody dropping down as well.

"C'mon," Appo nodded outside to the five, smiling. "The boys missed you." They carefully and slowly stepped off, trying to avoid looking at anyone, but the sudden cheer and calls of their vode made them look.

"Welcome home!"

"You had us worried!"

"Everyone alright?"

"We knew you'd make it!"

Cody walked up to the Captain and lightly shoved him forward, a smirk on his lips. Boil and Jewels stood behind them, giving Fives and Jesse a push as well. They glanced at their orange brothers and laughed, facing their battalion.

"It's good to be back!"

Kix dropped down as soon as he could, which meant at a couple of crates. Cinder followed his brothers to the barracks for some much needed rest. Jesse went with Kix and sat on the ground, by his legs, before Fixer arrived to give them a check. Boil and Jewels tried to clear away some of the boys to give their brothers space and Appo decided to grab some food. Fives was helping Tup to the infirmary and Rex stood by the three Jedi and Cody.

"The Council is not happy with your actions, Anakin," Kenobi lightly shook his head.

"I know that Master, but I had good reasons!" Skywalker crossed his arms.

"And those would be?" the ginger looked at his Padawan, before his eyes were cast on the two commanding clones, followed by the others who went to fight Dooku. His eyes opened slightly, and he moved to stroke his beard.

"I see…" he could clearly read the feelings and thoughts of the soldiers. "This a most… unexpected situation. Perhaps it would be best if we…" he trailed off, talking to Skywalker.

"Rex?" Ahsoka gently nudged his arm and he almost snapped his head to her. "You're really tense…" her eyes were looking up at him with worry and concern and Cody was giving him a sidelong look as well.

"Sirs," the older clone spoke up, straighten his back. "I request the 501st men be examined and set to immediate rest. All of them. This… experience was exhausting," the Commander saw his brother giving him a surprised and slightly betrayed look.

"Good idea Cody," Obi-Wan nodded. "You should all rest and recover. We can discuss this further later."

* * *

They were shooed into the infirmary, where Tup and Fives already were. Someone had gone to get Cinder and they waited until all five missing soldiers were there. The medics barely managed to keep Kix from doing his job and just sit still.

"You two got injection entries…" Fixer grumbled, fingers pressed on Fives and Rex's necks as they all sat on the beds, out of their armor. "Any idea what was it they used?"

"…Adrenalin shots, I think… Also, different things I can't…" the Captain shook his head, putting a hand on his head to stop the spinning.

"They did it to me when I was passed out," Fives admitted with some worry.

"I see…" Fixer ran a hand through his short, ginger hair. "Well, whatever it was, it doesn't seem to have left any permanent damage… I'd still keep you both out of any heavy action and drink a lot of water – try to sweat whatever is left out."

"What about… whatever Dooku did?" Jesse asked, leaning forward on his knees.

"The Jedi said it was the 'Dark Side' or something, so we can't do anything about it. But they did suggest you all rest."

"Rest how… I… I still hear it… And seeing the Jedi…" Cinder shook his head, letting out a shuddered breath.

"We keep away from them…" Kix spoke up, eyes downcast. "At least, until we're sure we won't be… aggressive against them… It worked back there, but it was mostly the basic instinct for survival…" he looked back up, exhaustion clearly showing.

"If you boys are all agreed," Fixer nodded, before turning to the blonde. "Captain, mind if I do one last scan on you? The previous signs gave off a lot of brain activity…"

"Right, go ahead," Rex blinked to ground himself, giving a weak nod.

* * *

"How's the progress with the men?" Kenobi asked as Cody walked up to the holo-table on the bridge, where Anakin and Ahsoka were already talking.

"Going well sir. But, the medics have suggested they stay in the infirmary, away from…" he paused, giving the youngest Padawan an apologetic look. "From all Jedi."

"But, I thought they were fine now!" Ahsoka almost jumped, looking at the Commander.

"There's no knowing just how much damage Dooku did to them Snips. The best thing for everyone, them especially, is to give them time and space to recover," Skywalker put a hand on her shoulder, giving a small squeeze.

"Anakin is correct. In a matter as delicate as this, one wrong move could have great consequences. Allow them to recover," Obi-Wan looked at the Togruta.

"I… understand, Masters…" she lowered her head.

* * *

"…What happened with Svak?" Fixer had asked when he finished scanning the Captain. The signs were still erratic, but more… stable now. He couldn't really tell what was making the blonde react like that, but he figured it might be one of those drugs.

"…" the silence answered for itself and Cinder could be seen looking away, eyes tight.

"Have you told Gift and Hopper?" the only answer was a weak shake of the head.

"…Alright. I'll be leaving now, and you all stay here, and rest. If you need anything – no Kix will not work – you call me, alright?" their small smiles made him relax ever so slightly.

"Get some rest Fixer," Rex nodded, eyes grateful.

"Medics get to ignore orders like that…" Fixer mumbled as he shook his head, leaving the room and the fives clones.

"We're finally home…" Fives dropped back on the bed, looking at the ceiling.

"Yeah… it's a relief," Jesse sighed and turned to his side, so he could see the others.

"All that's left, is explaining… However the kriff we'll do that," Kix rubbed his face, legs hanging off the side of the bed.

"I don't even remember that much about it…" Cinder sat crossed legged on the bed.

"We'll think of something… For now, let's just get some sleep… It's been quite the ride…" Rex let out a breath, lying down himself.

"Aye aye Captain," the small moment of humor eased out quite a bit of tension between them, as they all slowly settled onto the beds. They knew they wouldn't be sleeping – not for a while. But the fact they were in a familiar place, a place they felt safe… It was all that mattered at the moment.

The nightmares will come… They knew they would. So would the whispers. But they wouldn't follow it. Not again. And if anything did happen, they knew their brothers would help them out. Jedi included.

* * *

. . .

"You alright?" he heard her ask next to him.

"Yes sir," he answered automatically, not really thinking about it.

"…You're not, are you?" she stated more than asked.

"You can read me, can't you?" he let out a humorless chuckle.

"Yeah, and so can the rest of them."

"…Joy…"

"Just, be your usual calm self, okay? Master Skywalker and Kenobi will be there as well."

"That doesn't really make me feel better…"

"Master Plo will also be there."

"…I'll be the only one, won't I?"

"…You don't have to do this, you know…"

"If I won't, who will? The others? No. I can't let them face… this."

"You wish Cody was here, don't you?"

"…"

"The Council didn't even want to bring you here… Some still think you might… react."

"It's just… strange. Small bits are still foggy and confused and… and we still hesitate."

"It's not your fault…"

"I wish I could believe that…"

The doors opened and he took in a sharp breathe, straightening his back. She tried to reach out one last time, to give him a small bit of assurance, but didn't. So, when he was told to enter, he did, trying to hide his feelings in the room full of Jedi.

There was instant silence as every pair of eyes landed on him. He's never had a greater desire to run and hide than at that moment, when he could almost feel each and every one of them prodding into his being.

"Captain Rex," Skywalker brought him out of his idea of running, standing by his side.

"Generals," he gave a salute back, wincing internally at how stiff his movement was.

"Clear it is, the truth you spoke, Skywalker," Master Yoda said almost instantly after that, eyes looking into the soldier's own.

"I would have no reason to lie, Masters."

"It does not change the fact you risked so much for so little," Maser Tiin crossed his arms.

"How can you still say that, despite what Skywalker has told us?" Plo leaned forward in his chair, eyes narrowing.

"He only told us that a couple of clones were turned to the Dark Side by Count Dooku and he clearly didn't kill them," Coleman growled, his translator making him sound horrid.

"We can't very well get information out of dead men, now can we?" Anakin narrowed his eyes as well, arms folded over his chest.

"What Anakin is trying to say," Kenobi gave a small smile, stepping forward and casually putting a hand on the Captain's shoulder. But to the clone, it was clear the Jedi had just reminded him where he stood and that he needed to breathe.

"Is that these fives clones underwent a very extreme and unknown procedure involving the Dark Side of the Force. They might not remember all of it, but in due time, it will back. They were able to recall and explain _some_ of what happened and we were able to get a better grasp at what Dooku was trying to do. None of this would have been possible, had they been killed," the man spoke so clearly, so confidently, one would almost believe he's been working on this speech for a while now.

"And what information did you receive?" Stass was still skeptical as she leaned back.

"Captain, if you would, in short, tell the Council what you told us…" Obi-Wan moved next to the blonde, allowing the Jedi a full view.

* * *

. . .

He walked out and stood there, until the doors closed again. As soon as they did, he let out a shuddered breathe, eyes closed and swallowed hard, doubling over.

"I see you made it out alive," he heard someone say and didn't even have the energy to glare at the man.

"Not funny Cody…" he grumbled, accepting the helping hand from his bother.

"Fives told me to say that to you when I see you," the Commander had a small grin on his face as he quickly checked the blonde over. "You alright?"

"Better now that that's over," Rex gave his own weak smile.

"Good. Now c'mon, before all the good food is gone."

"Jesse and Fives are probably already on thirds…"

"Actually, Kix is the monster today… Never seen a medic inhale food like that…"

"Haha, then it won't be long until someone turns it into a competition."

"Right, so let's get there before you 501st nuts start another food fight."

"Hey, that last one was not our fault! Oval started it when…" the two talked and bantered all the way to the mess hall and even inside. Luckily, there hasn't been a fight, but it was coming close by the looks of things. But now that 'Captain Killjoy' and 'Commander Boring' were here, the boys started to simmer down. That's what happens when you have two battle ridden Battalions stationed on such a small location. The City Guards had the right idea though – avoiding this place until they all left.

* * *

"A most disturbing story…" Plo rubbed his chin in thought.

"And it's all true… The Captain could not have made it up," Mace added, looking at the others. They all felt the man's Force signature flicker, shiver, crawl and scream as he retold what happened.

"See? I had good reason to do what I did," Anakin had a cocky grin on his face.

"You were… aware of this?" Unduli was trying very hard to cover up her smile.

"Of course!" Skywalker smirked a bit wider, realizing only a handful of Masters were still mad at him for what he did.

"This plan, devastating it would be. A job well done, for stopping it, Skywalker," Yoda gave a bow of the head.

"You should thank the men as well. They fought well against the Dark Side," Anakin added, almost slipping up. He had talked with the boys about… the lightsabers battle, and they all concluded it'd be best if the Council not know about it. As for how they knew how to fight… well, it's something they all decided would be better left discussed another time.

"If there is nothing more…" Obi-Wan looked around the room.

"Actually, I think it's best to discuss a precaution to this… control," Tiin said, getting everyone's attention.

"And what would you suggest?" Munid asked, keeping a calm face.

"Should any clone come to face such a situation again, they will have to take action," Tiin leaned back in his seat. "A soldier should be willing to die to protect others, correct?"

"Are you suggesting they take their own lives?" Mace asked, voice hinted with disgust.

"That does sound like a reasonable thing. They cannot control them if they are dead," Coleman nodded casually.

"You can't be serious!" Unduli opened her eyes wide.

"You dare suggest such a vile, disgusting and dishonorable action to force upon them?" Plo Koon stood up, eyes narrowing dangerously.

There was a sound, a staff hitting the stone ground, and everyone calmed down. Yoda had his eyes closed, calming himself, and the rest of the Council waited for his words.

"Kenobi, Skywalker – sense I do, answers to our query you have," he looked at the two Jedi, who shared a glance.

"Actually, we do," Anakin stepped forward. "Dooku's entire plan was to get the soldiers to rebel – that's why he would capture them and let them go. But if this news spreads – of what he would do, there wouldn't be much to worry about."

"His secret will be out. Should a clone vanish or be taken, and then return, speaking of treason, no one would believe him. They would all know Dooku has control over them. His plan would not work," Obi-Wan continued, a ghost of a smile on his face.

The Council looked at each other, Koon still on edge and Tiin frowning. But in the end, Mace leaned forward, nodding his head.

"I am sure most will agree to that. We will not needlessly force our men to take their own lives. And Dooku is no fool – he must realize this as well. He likely will not try again."

"But if he does, we will be prepared. This information will he passed throughout the Republic, to make sure everyone is aware," Mundi gave a small smile.

"Thank you, Masters," the two gave a bow, unable to stop the grins.

"You are dismissed," Windu said with a smirk, while Tiin was apparently fuming.

"Do keep us informed of any developments" Koon gave a final nod as the two men left.

* * *

"That went better than expected," Kenobi smiled as he left the room.

"Still could have gone better," Anakin shrugged as the two stopped when a familiar Padawan stepped into their path.

"The boys are the mess, I figured we could join them," Ahsoka was smiling up at them.

"I don't see why not? The food is better than the Cruiser," the ginger began to move.

"True, but it's still not all that great…" Skywalker sighed, frowning.

"You really don't get to complain Skyguy. The boys eat worse all the time."

"Fair enough," there was already some noise coming from the mess as they neared.

"Well, they haven't started a fight," Obi-Wan glanced at the other two.

"Yet," they both smirked, shared a look and then laughed. Oh yeah, it was good to have all the boys back home. The three quickly cast their eyes on a few dark-flickering spots in the Force, despite knowing who it was. The five missing clones have yet to be fully cleansed of the Dark Side – they didn't think they ever will be. But the light greatly outshone the dark as the boys seemed more relaxed than they have been the last week. Things may not be the same as before, but that wasn't stopping them. They would get as close as they could to what was before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut! There you go everyone, the conclusion! Hope it was a good enough send of to what happened!   
> But even if this one is over, I got a few more from before so check those out. And if you already have read all of them or if none of them seem to interest you, there will be more on the way. More specifically, for those who read my "Aliit ori'shya tal'din" story - those collection of one-shots are soon gonna be out. Otherwise I still got a couple of tricks up my sleeve, so be sure to check any of those out!  
> Thank you all again for reading, reviewing and favoring this story! It was short, but had a different approach and I hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Cut! This will be a sort of fast-paced kind of story, but I will focus on more things at once. You'll see more next chapter - assuming you're there.  
> Anyway! I hope you enjoyed, and if you did, maybe review what you thought? It helps A TON and really keeps me want to writer faster!  
> Till next time~


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